The Grizzlies apparently haven’t softened their stance of resisting a buyout for Andre Iguodala, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link from Siva Kodali).
In a report Saturday night, Wojnarowski said teams with interest in acquiring the veteran swingman should be prepared to make trade offers.
“The message that Memphis has delivered to teams like the Lakers, Clippers and Rockets is that you’re going to have to trade for him,” Wojnarowski said. “We are not buying him out. He will not be on the free agent market.”
Iguodala has been in limbo since the Warriors shipped him to Memphis in July to open up cap room. He hasn’t spent any time with his new team and is waiting for a deal so he can start playing again. Iguodala would be a valuable addition for any contender, but his $17M-plus salary makes it challenging for the top teams to work out a trade.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Pelicans should consider using guard Lonzo Ball off the bench now that forward Kenrich Williams has claimed a starting spot, contends William Guillory of The Athletic. Injuries forced coach Alvin Gentry to use 11 starting lineups in the first 15 games, but he has more options now that the Pelicans are getting healthier. New Orleans has played very well when power forward Brandon Ingram and point guard J.J. Redick are on the court together, and with Jrue Holiday holding one starting backcourt position, that doesn’t leave room for Ball.
- Ingram has displayed All-Star potential through the first month of the season, observes Scott Kushner of NOLA.com. The Pelicans didn’t reach an extension with Ingram before last month’s deadline, but Kushner believes a long-term deal this summer is virtually certain, even if it means the team has to match an offer sheet for the restricted free agent.
- Tim MacMahon of ESPN looks at how Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle learned to trust Luka Doncic during a sometimes difficult first season in Dallas. Doncic’s occasional carelessness with the ball wasn’t a good fit for a no-nonsense coach like Carlisle, but he understood his rookie guard needed a chance to develop his game at the NBA level. “For the development of a great player this young, the best thing they can do is make mistakes and grow from those mistakes,” said former Dallas director of player development Mike Procopio. “You can’t freak out over every mistake. Rick understands that. Rick is intelligent. Rick knows this kid is the future of that organization. He can’t get in the way of that.”
