Tag: Andre Iguodala

PODCAST: Shams Charania breaks down the latest NBA trade rumors

Shams Charania discusses the latest NBA trade rumors, every notable player surfacing in trade talks, the most aggressive teams and more.

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Alex Kennedy is joined by one of the top NBA reporters in the business, Shams Charania, who is the lead NBA insider for The Athletic and Stadium. They discuss the latest NBA trade rumors, every notable player surfacing in trade talks, which teams are being the most aggressive as the deadline approaches and more. Time-stamps are below!

:55: Shams is hosting a trade-deadline show on Stadium this Thursday, starting at 2:30 ET. He discusses what they have planned.

1:50: Will this be a very active trade deadline or will all of the moves last offseason lead to less activity?

2:25: D’Angelo Russell’s name has surfaced quite a bit leading up to the deadline. Shams discusses the latest on Russell, including the Golden State Warriors’ talks with the Minnesota Timberwolves and New York Knicks.

5:05: If Russell isn’t traded before the deadline, what does his future hold in Golden State? Is there any thought of keeping him long-term or would trade talks just resume in the offseason?

6:00: Shams discusses which teams have talked to the Detroit Pistons about Andre Drummond and why the big man may not be moved by Thursday.

7:00: The market for Kevin Love is stagnant, as Shams recently reported. He discusses why he’d be surprised to see Love traded before the deadline.

8:00: Jrue Holiday has made it know that he’d like to stay in New Orleans, but will the Pelicans listen to offers anyway? If so, which teams have shown interest?

9:40: Kyle Kuzma has surfaced in trade rumors more than just about any other player this season. Have the Los Angeles Lakers decided to keep him and what are the Lakers looking to do as the deadline approaches?

11:25: Minnesota has had talks about moving Robert Covington and several executives told HoopsHype that they expect him to be traded. Shams talks about his market and which teams are possible suitors for the wing.

12:40: What’s the latest on Clint Capela and which teams are a possible landing spot for the big man?

13:50: The New York Knicks want a lottery-level pick in exchange for Marcus Morris, according to Shams. He discusses the market for Morris and how the Knicks are approaching the deadline.

15:20: Will a team budge and meet the Memphis Grizzlies’ asking price for Andre Iguodala? Or will he be bought out or possibly even retire?

16:30: Teams have shown interest in Derrick Rose, but will the Detroit Pistons trade him? Shams discusses the Pistons’ asking price.

17:25: Darren Collison shocked everyone when he retired over the offseason, but he may make a comeback now as a free agent. Shams talks about which teams have expressed interest in the veteran point guard.

18:10: Which players may be possible buyout candidates if they don’t get traded?

18:45: Shams discusses which teams are being the most aggressive as the deadline approaches.

Reports: Rockets target Covington, Iguodala; Celtics in on Capela

Per ESPN, Robert Covington and Andre Iguodala are among the targets for the Rockets, who have spoken to teams about moving Clint Capela.

With the NBA’s 2019-20 trade deadline just three days away, the Boston Celtics are the latest team to reportedly show interest in Houston Rockets center Clint Capela, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Other teams that had previously been identified as Capela suitors include the Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings.

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The Rockets are said to be seeking a wing player in their moves, as well as a fill-in center to help replace Capela’s size. In Wojnarowski’s tweets on Monday afternoon, he identified Robert Covington in Minnesota and Andre Iguodala in Memphis as potential targets. Both could be attainable for Houston, given Capela’s outgoing salary of over $16 million.

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Since it wouldn’t seem that the Timberwolves with Karl-Anthony Towns and the Grizzlies with Jonas Valanciunas need a center such as Capela, that is likely why Rockets GM Daryl Morey is looking for third-team partners such as the Hawks, Kings, or Celtics.

The draft compensation from one of those teams for Capela could then be flipped to a team such as Minnesota or Memphis.

Both Covington and Iguodala, who are best known for their wing defense, have been rumored Houston targets for months.

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At just 25 years old, the 6-foot-10 Capela is averaging 13.9 points (62.9% shooting), 13.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 32.8 minutes per game this season. His per-game rebounding total is fourth in the league.

Capela is also under contract for three more seasons after the current 2019-20 campaign. That, combined with his age, makes him a plausible fit for both contenders and rebuilding teams, since he wouldn’t be a threat to leave his new destination in free agency until 2023.

As for Houston, with Capela missing several games of late with a minor heel injury, the Rockets have started usual power forward P.J. Tucker at center while inserting Danuel House Jr. to Tucker’s vacated spot.

They’re 3-0 in that recent small-ball stretch, including wins over two likely Western Conference playoff teams in Utah and Dallas.

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Overall, Houston is 9-1 (.900) in the 10 games that Capela has missed due to injury or illness this season. In the one loss, both All-Star guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook did not play.

Led by head coach Mike D’Antoni, the Rockets seem to be prioritizing maximum floor spacing for Harden and Westbrook with potential 3-point shooters at most or all positions, even if it costs them size.

The Rockets have one more game before Thursday’s trade deadline, which arrives at 2 p.m. Central time in Houston.

That next game comes Tuesday night at home versus Charlotte, with Capela again expected to sit out due to his heel injury.

All-Star vote: The players who always do better with fans than peers

For the fourth year in a row, the NBA has disclosed the vote for All-Star starters of fans, media and players. Since we now have the data of where each player ranked in the final results, we decided to look for patterns. For example, which players …

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For the fourth year in a row, the NBA has disclosed the vote for All-Star starters of fans, media and players. Since we now have the data of where each player ranked in the final results, we decided to look for patterns.

For example, which players do better with fans than with their NBA peers?

We found out 16 guys have ranked higher in the fan vote than in the players vote every year since 2017. Only two on the list have made the All-Star Game and they are both members of the world-beating Golden State Warriors: Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Kind of makes you go ‘Hmmm’, right?

The largest disparity between player and fan vote happens with Jordan Clarkson, though, which was kind of unexpected.

For more details, you can check the gallery above. All rankings based on position and conference.

Andre Iguodala says Steph Curry shouldn’t return until next season

Andre Iguodala thinks that Stephen Curry should take the rest of the NBA season off after he recovers from injury.

Since the start of the 2020 New Year, the Warriors haven’t been able to stack wins at the desired rate, yet there is still positive news surrounding Golden State.

The primary source of that positivity is the news surrounding Stephen Curry’s injury that has caused him to miss all but four games in the 2019-20 season. Curry has been spotted shooting at practice and is clear to travel with Golden State as he progresses through his rehab.

The most recent positive sign came when Marcus Thompson III of The Athletic reported Golden State could be circling March 1 as a return date for their injured All-Star guard.

Returning at the start of March against the Washington Wizards would give Curry the chance to finish out the final 22 games of the Warriors 2019-20 season.

However, one of Curry’s former teammates doesn’t think he should return to the court until next season. Andre Iguodala joined ESPN’s First Take and initially joked around about wanting Curry back as his golf partner, but later doubled-down saying his old teammate needs a “real break” so he can “relax.”

Selfish reasons, no — he hurt his left hand, and you can’t golf with your left hand if it’s hurt — so, I think he needs to get a real break in terms of being able to relax — that long run, in terms of mental reasons — Marshawn Lynch mentioned it, you need to get your mentals right — but I think it’s good for him mentally to be able to step away — be able to get a nice breather — he’s going to be able to come back on a wrath next year.

With the Warriors record locked in at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, there’s no reason to rush Curry back as his injury should be handled with caution.

However, Golden State hasn’t been able to experiment with D’Angelo Russell and Curry in the same backcourt for an extended amount of time. Testing Curry and Russell together is a crucial step before heading into an offseason where Golden State will try to morph back into a contending caliber team.

Curry’s hand is expected to be evaluated in February, with many dominos slated to fall once there is an updated timetable attached to his broken hand injury.

Andre Iguodala breaks down the Clippers and Lakers rosters

Iguodala thinks both teams have what it takes to win a title

Andre Iguodala technically plays for the Memphis Grizzlies, but you wouldn’t be able to tell if you weren’t paying attention.

He’s been laying low this season since the Warriors traded him to Memphis after Kevin Durant dipped and went to the Nets this summer. He’s been on a book tour, done some work in tech and has conducted a handful of interviews.

But now he’s finally back to talking basketball again. Iguodala paid a visit to First Take on Friday to talk about what he’s been doing and the state of the NBA.

Since he was traded to Memphis, he’s been one of the names that have been consistently connected to the Lakers and Clippers — two of the teams at the top of the West.

The problem is he’s currently stuck in a stalemate with the Grizzlies, who can either buy him out or trade him.

Iguodala makes $17.2 million this season and has said that he won’t be bought out for any less, but the Grizzlies refuse to buy his deal out with such a hefty price tag.

Meanwhile, trading him is difficult because of the money he makes. Whatever team trades for him has to send a similar amount of money back to the Grizzlies. That means they either send a player with a big contract over or they packaged together a number of smaller deals to add up to an appropriate amount. Either way, the team is losing depth, so it’s difficult to see a trade happening.

So when they asked Iguodala which team he’d want to play for, instead of actually making a choice he broke both of them down by their strengths.

“It’s picking your poison. I mean, you know, in terms of you having the poison and you being able to shoot that whichever way you want against your opponent.” 

Smart man. It’s best to play this diplomatically for him at this point — he still has no idea where he’s going to end up. First thing is first, though. Get this man out of Memphis, ASAP.

Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala support 49ers at NFC Championship

Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala were in the building with friends and family when the 49ers punched their ticket to the Super Bowl after a dominant victory over the Green Bay Packers.

Over the last five years, the Golden State Warriors have been one of the hottest tickets in the Bay Area. The stars have shown up across the entertainment and sports landscape to get a chance to watch Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green.

However, with the Warriors struggling, the new spot to find star power in the Bay Area has moved from Oracle Arena in Oakland, to Silicon Valley’s Levi’s Stadium.

The San Francisco 49ers punched their ticket to Super Bowl 54 in dominant fashion against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

Behind a tenacious rushing attack drawn up by head coach Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers rolled through Green Bay with ease, 37-20.

With a game like the NFC Championship taking place in the Bay Area, a pair of former Golden State champions showed up for the occasion.

Klay Thompson, alongside his girlfriend Laura Harrier, were both on the field before the game started, with the injured “Splash Brother” wearing a 49ers hat.

It was a busy weekend for Thompson, as he had his college No. 1 jersey retired at Washington State one day before the NFC Championship kicked off.

Along with Thompson, the former sixth-man during the Warriors championship run, Andre Iguodala was in the crowd at Levi’s Stadium with his son, geared up in custom 49ers’ jerseys.

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Going to the ship!!

A post shared by Andre Iguodala (@andre) on

Iguodala, currently a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, wasn’t in the building just to catch a football game — the Illinois native has been a loyal fan of the 49ers prior to joining Golden State in 2013.

With the 2019-20 edition of Golden State sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference, the 49ers have taken the Bay Area’s championship baton as they stand one game away from bringing back a Lombardi Trophy to San Francisco.

Kyle Shanahan compares NFC Championship bound 49ers to Warriors

The San Francisco 49ers are one win away from punching a ticket to the Super Bowl, and their coach, Kyle Shanahan sees some similarities to the championship Golden State Warriors.

The Golden State Warriors have dominated the Bay Area sports realm over the past five seasons. Five straight trips to the NBA Finals, three championships and the birth of one of the best backcourt duos in NBA history have made it easy for basketball fans in the Bay Area to jump on the bandwagon.

It’s not just the Warriors that had reigned over the Bay Area. At the start of the decade, it was the San Francisco Giants who were hanging banners in the Mission Bay neighborhood of the city.

Now, both San Francisco basketball and baseball teams are struggling. However, the football team has risen to the occasion and taken the Bay Area championship baton.

The San Francisco 49ers are only one win away from a trip to the Super Bowl, and their head coach wants his offense to play similarly to the championship Warriors of the past.

I just have always been a fan of them, and even before I got here just watching how they play — I remember saying in Atlanta even when we were there that I wanted our receiver group to be similar to the Warriors — to where who knows who the starter is.

Shanahan keyed on the Warriors usage of their sixth man, turned Finals Most Valuable Player, Andre Iguodala.

They all play — Andre Iguodala, things like that — I think he wasn’t the starter and then he’s the conference finals or whatever it’s called, NBA championship MVP — seven games that matter to them.

The 49ers’ head coach wants his team to have the unselfish mentality the Golden State Warriors championship-run showed.

I mean, you think of stuff like that — you’ve got an MVP, you’ve got a defensive MVP, guys who seem really not to care how it gets done — They all just go out there and ball and see where the weakness in the defense is, and wherever that ends up, that guy shoots and that’s a lot how I see offense.

If Shanahan’s goal was to model his team after the Warriors, even if it was just a little bit, he’s done well. The 49ers have four different players with 30 or more receptions and three different running backs with 500 or more rushing yards. The 49ers defense line alone has four players with six or more sacks.

A key reason why the 49ers have advanced deep into the playoffs is their ability to play balanced football, with a new unit leading them to victory each week.

Trade deadline preview: Lakers’ search for another playmaker

HoopsHype examines the Lakers’ biggest needs as we approach the trade deadline, as well as specific players they could target.

Through Jan. 8, the Los Angeles Lakers have proven to be one of the league’s best teams and a legitimate title contender, with a 30-7 record and the NBA’s No. 2 net rating (+7.7).

They may be 0-3 in their three highest-profile games, two against their crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers, and one versus the Milwaukee Bucks, which came on the road for L.A., but regardless, all the Lakers really need to do is tighten up the edges of their rotation rather than make a wholesale change.

ROSTER NEEDS

Considering the Lakers are clearly one of the league’s elite teams this season, there’s not much they necessarily need, but if we had to nitpick, there is maybe one hole Los Angeles could stand to fill, and that’s to find another backup ball-handler.

With LeBron James starting as the team’s de facto point guard, the role of primary back-up ball-handler/playmaker has gone to Rajon Rondo, who has, for the most part, struggled this season. Rondo is averaging 7.0 points and 5.4 assists nightly, shooting just over 40 percent from the floor and, worst of all, the Lakers are 6.5 points per 100 possessions worse when he’s in the game.

An upgrade at backup point guard could provide the Lakers with a huge boost towards their title chances.

Besides that, another big man who can space the floor could be a good target for Los Angeles (or any contender, really), especially if they do end up trading the player we’re about to discuss. DeMarcus Cousins could have been that player, but he’s likely to miss the rest of the season, though there’s apparently a chance he could return late in the campaign.

POTENTIAL TRADE CANDIDATES

The likeliest trade candidate on the Lakers’ roster appears to be Kyle Kuzma, who has been bandied about a good amount over recent weeks.

Kuzma being available for a swap makes sense, because although many thought he could blossom into the third member of L.A.’s new Big 3, multiple injuries and difficulty acclimating with his role have stymied the Utah product’s development, and he’s currently posting arguably his worst season, averaging just 12 points per game and shooting a mediocre 34.6 percent from beyond the arc.

A change of scenery could benefit Kuzma, as well as help the Lakers land either a win-now veteran or a player who fits better on their roster.

POTENTIAL TRADE TARGETS

There have been a few players to have their names attached to the Lakers in trade rumors over recent weeks.

Most recently, Los Angeles was rumored to be interested in Washington Wizards sharpshooter Davis Bertans, who is having a career season, averaging 15.4 points per game and shooting 43.4 percent from three. Another floor-spacing big man, Marcus Morris has also been mentioned multiple times as a player of interest for the Lakers, though he won’t come cheap, considering he’s the New York Knicks’ best player this season. Perhaps Kuzma and a draft pick could intrigue New York in a potential swap for Morris.

The Lakers have also been rumored to have interest in two ball-handlers: DJ Augustin from the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies swingman Andre Iguodala. Augustin would provide an immediate upgrade over Rondo at backup point guard, as his career 38 percent outside shooting mark would mesh nicely with what Los Angeles needs. Iguodala, meanwhile, would be a different kind of backup ball-handler, but a very valuable one nonetheless. The 2015 Finals MVP proved during last year’s playoff run for the Golden State Warriors that he’s got enough left in the tank to impact games late in the postseason. Also, his defensive prowess could come in handy against the Clippers’ monster wing duo, should the two L.A. teams face off in the playoffs as many expect.

Other potential trade targets who would make sense for the Lakers but  haven’t been rumored about as much include: Evan Turner, Jeff Teague, Ish Smith, Wayne Ellington, Rudy Gay, Dario Saric and Marvin Williams.

TRADE RESTRICTIONS

The Lakers are restricted from two players they currently have rostered: two-way player Davontae Cacock and backup guard Alex Caruso. The former can’t be traded until Jan. 11 while the latter can’t be dealt until Jan. 15.

Additionally, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, JaVale McGee and Rajon Rondo all have no-trade clauses on their contracts, so they would have to approve any deal.

Finally, the Lakers cannot acquire Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Mo Wagner or Isaac Bonga, due to the fact they traded all of those players over the summer.

DRAFT ASSETS

Draft picks are considered the most premium assets teams can send out, or acquire, in trades. After acquiring Anthony Davis, the Lakers are running low in draft capital, which could make coming to terms on trades a tad more difficult for them this season.

As of now, Los Angeles doesn’t have a first-round pick they can trade until 2026, unless they can get a team to accept their 2021 first-round pick with a 9-30 protection on it, meaning it would have to land in the Top 8 to actually transfer (not happening), or a second-round pick at all until 2023.

You can follow Frank Urbina on Twitter: @FrankUrbina_.

Eric Pincus on latest NBA trade buzz, his cap expertise and more

Alex Kennedy and Eric Pincus discuss the latest NBA trade buzz, Pincus’ salary-cap expertise, his hope of working for an NBA team and more.

On this episode, Alex Kennedy is joined by NBA analyst Eric Pincus, who writes for Bleacher Report and helps run the Sports Business Classroom every summer. They discuss the latest trade rumblings from the NBA’s G League Showcase, Pincus’ career, his salary-cap expertise, his hope of someday working in an NBA front office and more. Time-stamps are below!

1:15: Eric talks about his journalism career, which has included stints at the Los Angeles Times, Bleacher Report and Basketball Insiders among other outlets.

4:00: Each summer, Eric helps run the Sports Business Class with Larry Coon. The program teaches students (including current NBA executives and coaches) about the Collective Bargaining Agreement, salary-cap rules and more. Eric talks about how he got involved with the SBC and how he became a CBA/cap expert.

11:25: Eric talks about his hope of eventually working in an NBA front office, as long as it’s the right opportunity.

15:10: Eric and Alex were at the G League Showcase in Las Vegas, so they discuss the trade rumblings from the event (which Eric wrote about here). They start with Andre Iguodala’s situation with the Memphis Grizzlies and the likelihood that he gets traded rather than bought out.

18:39: The Phoenix Suns are a team worth monitoring, especially since many executives would love to make a deal for Aron Baynes. However, it seems that the Suns are leaning toward being buyers rather than sellers. Eric has heard that the Clippers are interested in Baynes, but that Phoenix wants to keep Baynes and try to add a veteran like Danilo Gallinari.

22:45: Will the Oklahoma City Thunder move their veterans for more draft picks and young assets prior to the deadline, or could they actually be buyers (as some reports have suggested)?

26:15: Eric reported that the Sacramento Kings are “unpredictable” as the deadline approaches, which lines up with what we’ve written. Nobody knows if this team will buy or sell at the deadline because they’re so desperate to make the playoffs, but they’re also continuing to fall in the standings. Will the Kings be active prior to the Feb. deadline?

29:49: The New Orleans Pelicans have played better recently and they’ll (hopefully) get Zion Williamson back soon. What they do with Jrue Holiday, Derrick Favors, JJ Redick and others may largely depend on how they play over the next month and a half and how players fit with Williamson.

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