Recent Lakers rumors are that the Memphis Grizzlies have no interest in buying out Andre Iguodala.
As the season gets closer, there haven’t been a ton of Lakers rumors about their roster with the summer months passing.
The Lakers are pretty set with their roster right now, but a good franchise is always looking to the future. Los Angeles has recently filed for a disabled player exception for DeMarcus Cousins, as it seems unlikely at this point that he will be playing basketball this season.
By doing this, the Lakers would create another open roster spot that they could utilize when they choose. Having an open roster spot would allow the Lakers to actively pursue players that are bought out of their contracts. This is something that frequently happens around the trade deadline when players aren’t traded.
One of the players that many expected to be bought out this summer was Andre Iguodala. This summer, Iguodala was traded by the Golden State Warriors to the Memphis Grizzlies in order for them to create cap space to compete the sign-and-trade deal that brought D’Angelo Russell to Golden State.
As a veteran and a champion, Iguodala likely doesn’t have much interest in playing for the rebuilding Grizzlies at this point in his career. However, the Grizzlies don’t appear to be in a hurry to buy him out of his contract.
Iguodala is VP of NBPA, one of league’s most respected and desires a contender at this stage. Young, rebuilding Grizzlies received a valuable 2024 1st from Golden State in Iguodala trade, and after Dwight Howard buyout, were expected to eventually have same talks with Iguodala. https://t.co/feAQl4Jbv0
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 9, 2019
Iguodala is certainly in a tough spot here. The Grizzlies want him to be at training camp per the report, and a buy out doesn’t seem to be close. As a good veteran, Iguodala would be able to help a lot of teams, and the Lakers have been linked to him with his connections to Rob Pelinka.
However, with training camp right around the corner, the Lakers and other teams might not be able to pursue Iguodala. The contract of Igulodala is certainly something that could hold up a potential buyout. If Iguodala wanted out of Memphis that badly, he would likely have to take a lot less than he is owed on his contract.
With the season right around the corner, we will have to see if Iguodala is able to work his way out of Memphis. If he does and the Lakers get the exception for Cousins, they are certainly a possible destination.