Rumor: Andre Iguodala would be an intriguing option for PHX
By Tim Holstad
Andre Iguodala has been a vital member of the Golden State Warriors the past several years, especially in the playoffs. His defense, ball handling, and basketball IQ gave Golden State a veteran presence that have proven to be incredibly useful in crunch time. Depending on the outcome of the Finals this season, Iggy might leave for a different team to possibly finish out his career with.
In a story written on June 1st on ESPN, it was reported that the Suns could be a team interested in signing Iguodala this off-season. The story also mentioned Atlanta and Minnesota as possible suitors. This begs the question: does Andre Iguodala make sense for the Phoenix Suns?
Well, it depends. If the Suns draft Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum, or Jonathan Isaac in the NBA Draft this summer, then Iggy doesn’t make any sense at all. The team would already have that pick and T.J. Warren playing at small forward. While he can play some shooting guard, he’s not good enough of a shooter to have on the bench unit.
Even if the Suns don’t take a small forward in the draft, signing Iggy would immediately create a conundrum at the position. Does Warren start with Iguodala off the bench? Or does he relegate T.J. to the bench once more? Would Warren accept a bench role once more? I would wager no, but that would be the tough decision that Head Coach Earl Watson would have to make if the Suns sign Iggy.
On the other side of the coin, from a fit standpoint, Andre Iguodala makes real sense for the Suns. He went to the University of Arizona, so in a sense he’d be coming back home. Defensively, Andre is immediately the best player on the team on that side of the ball. He also becomes the second or third best ball handler on the roster which would give Phoenix a more dynamic offense. While three-point shooting isn’t a strength, Andre is certainly more capable as a shooter than P.J. Tucker was. Iguodala is also bigger and more athletic than Tucker was, and arguably a better defender.
So from that perspective he does seem to fit what the Suns need. He brings leadership, defense, and another primary ball handler. However, the Suns already have several veterans on the team that are there to be leaders and teachers for the young players. There’s Jared Dudley, Tyson Chandler, Leandro Barbosa, Ronnie Price, and even Eric Bledsoe could be argued as a veteran leader. Andre Iguodala is in his mid-30’s, and this will probably be his last or second to last contract. Does he fit their timeline?
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For me personally, it really depends on who they draft. If they take a forward, then Iguodala becomes repetitive and kind of pointless. He would be better than any veteran listed above besides Bledsoe. But he would also stunt the growth of too many young players on this team. If the Suns don’t take a forward, or if they deal T.J. Warren, then Andre starts to make a lot of sense for Phoenix. He would be a good veteran place holder and bring much-needed defense on the perimeter.
One other consideration though is how much money Iguodala would want. The Suns might not be interested anymore if he still wants $8-12M a year. However, if he’s more in the $4-6M range, that would be an intriguing proposition. If the Suns do want to sign Andre Iguodala, they would probably get rid of at least two of the veterans I mentioned, most likely Chandler and Barbosa. Free agency certainly promises to be interesting and this rumor is just the first of many that will have the Suns linked to a player of interest.