NBA trade deadline – Memphis Flyer

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Andre Iguodala

As the NBA trade deadline looms ahead, the media conversation around what the Grizzlies should do with Andre Iguodala has started up once again. It has been an interesting conversation, to say the least, and lots of people have had lots to say about it. Including some of the Grizzlies’ young core, via locker room quotes and social media.

🗣 https://t.co/3q56BwIxBa

— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) February 4, 2020

Real Talk: What Should the Grizzlies Do With Andre Iguodala?

Dillon Brooks’ comments, and Ja Morant’s likes, will get attention tonight. But can you imagine being them and hearing a 36-year-old who averaged 5.7 points per game last season, with a 13.12 PER, thinks he’s above playing with you for $17 million?

You’d probably pop-off too. pic.twitter.com/EUFd1rJ0d4

— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) February 4, 2020

Real Talk: What Should the Grizzlies Do With Andre Iguodala? (2)

For those who have been living under a rock this NBA season and haven’t kept up with this whole Iguodala mess, here is a brief rundown:

Golden State sent Iguodala and a 1st round pick to Memphis, so they could make room to sign D’Angelo Russell.

Iguodala had been very publicly adamant about his refusal to suit up for the Grizzlies and made it clear he wouldn’t report to training camp.

Rather than stir up drama going into the season, the Grizzlies allowed him to sit out, ostensibly until a trade was found for him.
Iguodala made it clear he was not willing to negotiate with the Grizzlies on an equitable buyout, demanding his entire contract value.
Throughout the course of the season, Iguodala has made several public remarks with some not-so-thinly veiled shade towards Memphis.

Now the trade deadline is quickly approaching, and it appears Iguodala has made it known through his agent that if he isn’t traded to one of his preferred teams, he is prepared to sit out the rest of the NBA season.

Which brings us to where we are now.

It has been said that there was a mutual agreement before the season started between the Grizzlies front office and Iguodala, in which the latter doesn’t have to participate in anything team-related while waiting for a trade or a buyout.

This is where the Grizzlies front office may have shot themselves in the foot, as that decision makes it a lot harder for them to do the thing they should have done from the start – order him to report and then fine him for every day that he doesn’t.

However, it is important to note the order in which these things happened, before declaring that the Grizzlies are the bad guys here. There is a provision in the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) which seems written for situations such as this.
According to Article XI, Section 3:

“A player who withholds playing services called for by a Player Contract for more than thirty (30) days after the start of the last Season covered by his Player Contract shall be deemed not to have “complet[ed] his Player Contract by rendering the playing services called for thereunder.” Accordingly, such a player shall not be a Veteran Free Agent and shall not be entitled to negotiate or sign a Player Contract with any other professional basketball team unless and until the Team for which the player last played expressly agrees otherwise.”

It is unclear if the Grizzlies could pursue this option, since there is nothing in writing excusing Iguodala’s absence. Likely this would cause more drama than the front office wants to deal with, but if I’m part of this front office I would definitely investigate this option further. While we are at it, the league should keep the same energy with Iguodala’s public comments that they had for Dewayne Dedmon after he made public comments about desiring a trade.

Here’s what they should NOT do under any circumstances: give Iguodala any sort of buyout or waive him from the team while he can still go join a playoff contender. Let him sit until this summer, and try his luck on the market as a free agent.

The Grizzlies’ former Vice President of Basketball Operations John Hollinger seems to be thinking along these same lines.

If not traded, Iggy's camp needs to be a bit careful they don't burn bridges to the point he gets Ben Gordoned — Charlotte cut him on March 2 a few years ago, mere hours after playoff eligibility deadline, just to nuke his chances of signing with a playoff team.

— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) February 4, 2020

Real Talk: What Should the Grizzlies Do With Andre Iguodala? (3)

With roughly two days to go until the NBA trade deadline, whatever happens will likely happen soon.

Today the remaining two members of the Memphis Grizzlies’ “Core Four” era could be playing their final home game for the team they have played for their entire careers. Mike Conley and Marc Gasol have been involved in several trade rumors after it was recently announced that Grizzlies owner Robert Pera was willing to trade the
Larry Kuzniewski

m before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline.

The Grizzlies play at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday night, before a road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. I would expect the Tuesday game to be emotional for the fans and media members, who could be seeing Gasol and Conley for the final time in Beale Street Blue. I’m also sure that there will be a tone of emotion from both Gasol and Conley, as they reflect on the possibility of playing their final home game for Memphis.

The possibility of both franchise stalwarts being traded creates a unique situation for the Grizzlies. For a franchise with a relatively short history, compared to others in the league, Conley and Gasol represent the first long-tenured, accomplished players who are having a farewell tour, so to speak. Both players have played for Memphis since their rookie seasons, and Gasol, of course, attended Lausanne High School here in Memphis, while his brother Pau played for the Grizzlies.

We’ve watched these two now-established veterans grow literally from being boys to men. We’ve watched them change in appearance and body frame over the years, and we’ve seen them get married, have kids, and become a part of the community — on and off the court. The thought of Conley and Gasol not being a part of the Grizzlies is a difficult one to comprehend, but one that, as far this season’s trade deadline is concerned, is definitely a possibility.

It has been reported that the Grizzlies covet draft picks and young prospects in any trade, and some reports also suggest that they desire expiring contracts in return for either of their stars. Many trade scenarios include the Grizzlies gaining players with warts and flaws that the team believes could be less worrisome in a different environment. Others have suggested that the organization should consider Conley’s and Gasol’s accomplishments and contributions and choose a destination for them that is mutually beneficial to the Grizzlies and the two players.

Larry Kuzniewski

I don’t think that that should be a factor. The NBA is a business, and a shrewd one, at that. Teams have a limited window of success, and in a small market like Memphis, that window can have a screen, bars on the outside, and be quickly painted over, if opportunity isn’t seized and handled intelligently. There have been complaints that the Grizzlies organization failed Conley and Gasol by not providing an adequate supporting cast for them during their time here — especially recently.

I am personally fine with considering the possibility that Gasol and Conley were also the product of their other two Core Four members, and instead of being a two-man tandem, were part of a quartet that needed all four members to truly make hit music.

The Core Four was like a concept album. A beautiful creation built around Grit n’ Grind, where if you were to separate the various songs from the whole record, they don’t hold the same weight. Yes Conley and Gasol have been vital to this organization, but why do they deserve a better send off than Zach Randolph and Tony Allen received, which was nothing? They both played their entire final season expecting to be back, and wanting to come back, only to be told (or not told) that they weren’t welcome.

Could a trade be announced tonight in the middle of the game, leading to an awkward but potentially amazing moment? Possibly. Or will we see Conley and Gasol make it past the trade deadline and keep playing for Memphis for years to come? The one thing that is definite is that the NBA trade deadline is Thursday, and two of the city’s adopted sons might be playing their final home game here. It’s one game that I won’t miss — even though I might not miss these two players as much as others will.