As the Los Angeles Lakers look to fill out the rest of their roster, one player they were linked to is veteran wing Andre Iguodala.
The 37-year-old may be nearing the end of his career but can still bring some defensive toughness in hopes of one last championship run. Iguodala is a former client of Rob Pelinka’s and has spoken very highly of him in the past, so it made some sense that the Lakers, who are a bit short on wing defenders, had interest.
Considering what Iguodala is looking for at this point in his career, it came as no surprise that he narrowed his free agency decision down to the Lakers, Golden State Warriors and Brooklyn Nets.
Given his history with the Warriors though, they were considered the favorites all along and it has now been announced that he will be returning there, via Jonathan Abrams of the New York Times:
Iguodala, 37, will be in the running. He told The New York Times that he intends to sign a one-year deal to return to the Golden State Warriors, the franchise with whom he won three N.B.A. championships and in 2015 claimed the finals Most Valuable Player Award.
“Who would have thought I’d have the opportunity to go back to the place where I was able to have, whatever you want to call it, legacy years, in terms of the accomplishments, winning multiple championships, the relationships that I was able to build with some of my closest friends and teammates?” Iguodala said, adding: “The relationship with the fans, the relationship with the Bay, the opportunity to end it here, was just something special.”
Now that Iguodala is off the board, it may not be long before the Lakers begin to fill out their final three roster spots. Among the candidates to potentially fill them are familiar faces like Wesley Matthews, Avery Bradley and Jared Dudley.
The Lakers could also promote one of their two-way players in Austin Reaves or Joel Ayayi if they impress during Summer League, which would in turn free up another two-way space.
Celtics have spoken with Schroder
One other player that the Lakers could look to bring back is Dennis Schroder as although he turned down an $84 million extension during the season, the guard appears to have little to no market in free agency.
He has reportedly spoken with the Boston Celtics but if no deal comes to fruition then a return to the Lakers on a one-year “prove-it” deal cannot be ruled out.
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