Rockets Make NBA Champion Top Priority Despite Lakers Preference: Report

With all the major pieces in free agency having fallen into place, the teams are now looking to build their roster with the remaining players on the market, be it via free agency or via trades. And one player who is in high demand is Andre Iguodala, who is currently tied to the Memphis Grizzlies but is wanted by the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks among others.

The power forward, a three-time NBA champion, was traded by the Golden State Warriors to the Memphis franchise in the sign-and-trade deal that saw Kevin Durant join the Brooklyn Nets and D’Angelo Russell move in the opposite direction.

In the immediate aftermath of him being traded, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith suggested that Iguodala is considering completing a buyout of the final year of his contract and becoming a free agent. The Los Angeles Lakers were said to be his preferred option with the player ready to sacrifice the $17.2 million he can earn this upcoming season.

The Lakers have since added DeMarcus Cousins and Danny Green to their roster after losing out on Kawhi Leonard but now have a number of other teams to contend with for the services of Iguodala. The New York Times’ Marc Stein puts them alongside four other teams, namely, Rockets, Clipper, Mavericks and Denver Nuggets.

The Grizzlies are said to be open to keeping Iguodala on their roster for the upcoming campaign and will not trade the three-time NBA champion unless they get an offer that includes a future first-round draft pick.

The Athletic’s Sam Amick reports that the Rockets’ No.1 priority at the moment is to secure a deal for the former Warriors’ sixth man. They continue to push for a deal but will have to possibly offload some salary before they can take on the 35-year-old All-Star.

Moreover, with Grizzlies demanding at least one future first-round pick, the Rockets will again fall short as they parted with two future first rounders in the deal that brought Russell Westbrook from Oklahoma City Thunder to Houston. But general manager Daryl Morey is keen to build a team that can once again challenge for the NBA championship, especially with the Western Conference getting stronger with the arrival of Leonard to Los Angeles.