NBA: Former Champion's Desire To Move Refused; Lakers, Clippers Still Interested

Andre Iguodala’s wish to play for a contender in what could be his final season in the NBA is not going according to plan with the Memphis Grizzlies making it clear that they are not willing to enter buyout talks with the forward. The franchise has instructed the 35-year-old to report to training camp when it gets underway later in the month.

The Golden State Warriors traded Iguodala to the Grizzlies to shed salaries when they acquired D’Angelo Russell from Brooklyn Nets earlier this summer. They even handed the Memphis franchise a 2024 first-round pick, which indicated that they might look to offload Iguodala as they are currently in a rebuilding process.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania, however, reports that the Grizzlies are refusing to enter into buyout talks with Iguodala, which means he will not be able to end his NBA career with a potential title contender. The only way he can leave at the moment is if one of the interested franchises make a trade offer.

“Memphis wants three-time champion Andre Iguodala to report to training camp and is refusing right now to engage in buyout, which would prevent Iguodala from finishing a Hall of Fame career on his terms because this may be his final NBA season,” Charania wrote.

Iguodala has had an illustrious career that includes an Olympic gold medal, All-Star selection, three NBA titles and the 2015 NBA Finals MVP. He is certainly still considered a valuable player for any roster that has playoff and even title potential in the upcoming campaign.

The Houston Rockets had made him their top priority earlier in the summer but had to trade players to make room for Iguodala, which has seen them cool their interest. The Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers were also keen but are unable to match the Grizzlies demands, especially after already having made huge acquisitions already this offseason.