Andre Iguodala is desperate for a way out of the Memphis Grizzlies and he is not the only one. Even the franchise and few of the players are hoping the forward can be traded before Thursday's 3 p.m. EST deadline.
The three-time NBA champion was traded by the Golden State Warriors to the Grizzlies in the summer as they were keen to make salary space to accommodate D'Angelo Russell, who arrived as part of the sign-and-trade deal that saw Kevin Durant join Brooklyn Nets. The veteran forward, however, did not report for training camp and has not been part of the squad thus far this season.
Iguodala is keen for his current employers to either trade him or engineer a buyout so he could join a team of his choosing, but the Grizzlies are not keen on the latter option. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, no deal is imminent but the Memphis franchise are said to be confident about reaching a trade agreement before the deadline.
Curry responds to Brooks, Morant
Iguodala has made it clear that he is willing to sit out the entire season if he is not traded before Thursday's deadline, which has irked some of the Grizzlies players with third-year guard Dillon Brooks hoping the 36-year-old lands with a team that will come against the Grizzlies in the coming weeks.
"I can't wait 'til we find a way to trade him so we can play him and show him really what Memphis is about," Brooks told reporters, as quoted on the New York Post.
Rookie of the Year favorite Ja Morant, who has been in fine form for the 25-25 Grizzlies this season backed up his teammate. However, Iguodala also has some powerful friends in the league and fellow three-time champion Stephen Curry was quick to step in and remind the Grizzlies players about Iguodala's pedigree in the NBA with a picture of the forward clutching the Larry O'Brien trophy.
Iguodala is keen to join a team that is contending for the championship with reports claiming that the Los Angeles Lakers and the Clippers will be interested if the forward became available on a free but if not they will have to shed some weight before they can accommodate his salary this season.
