Andre Iguodala has had a rather interesting season. He’s yet to play a game, as the former NBA Finals MVP for the Warriors was traded to the Grizzlies over the offseason but never suited up. The Grizzlies didn’t buy him out, however, because they wanted to get something in return for him. Memphis was always okay with Iguodala sitting out until it could get a deal done, and so half a season went by without him.
While many criticized him for refusing to show up while he demanded a buyout from the Grizzlies, what’s interesting is that Iguodala claims he never did that. From his perspective, the Grizzlies wanted him to sit out the entire season and he was just fulfilling that request. In a sit down with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Iguodala gave a clearer view into how he felt about everything.
Do you feel like (the Grizzlies) have done some of that?
I mean, that’s not up to me to say. All I know is that I never stated that I wasn’t going to play there, and I never stated that I didn’t want to play with those guys. But I know that’s public territory (where they reacted), and I can handle it, and that’s why I never went out and said, “You know, this person is a liar. That person’s a liar.”
You haven’t responded at all, right?
Not at all, because it’s all love. At the end of the day, it’s all love.
Given the tensions between Iguodala and other Memphis players in recent weeks it’s a little hard to believe that Iguodala never once told the Grizzlies he wasn’t going to play there. When the trade initially happened there were reports that the Grizzlies wanted him to report to training camp. Iguodala, however, never showed and spent his time resting until he ended up on a team that he felt could compete for a championship.
Not everyone on the Grizzlies was okay with Iguodala, though. Young players like Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks openly campaigned for him to be traded so they could show him what “Memphis is all about” and briefly sparked a social media feud. Iguodala didn’t really engage in that and has maintained the high road throughout the process, and he’s trying to take the high road in this interview as well.
We might never know what actually happened here, but both he and the Grizzlies both seem okay with how everything ended up. He’s happy with the Heat now and the Grizzlies flipped him in a trade like they apparently always planned. It’s a win for everyone, even if the path to get there got a little rough.
