The Philly fans’ frustrations with the play and contract of the Sixers F/G Andre Iguodala grew to a all-time high this season and in my opinion, it’s time for him to go this offseason. Yes Iguodala is a role player who’s overpaid in my eyes, but I put blame on Sixers General Manager Ed Stefanski for signing him to the deal instead of letting his ass walk. Stefanski has made a number of mistakes since taking over for Billy King and now it’s time for him to right the ship with the help of President Rod Thorn, who has a great track record (he put together the Nets teams who went to 2 NBA Finals in the early 2000’s).
The Sixers had a chance to dump Iguodala’s contract last season when the Houston Rockets were willing to take on his contract and Samuel Dalembert for the expiring contracts of Tracy McGrady and Chase Budinger. But Stefanski said the Sixers weren’t looking to dump salary. Now there are rumors floating around NBA circles that there are a few possible trades that could happen before the NBA lockout begins on June 30th, a week after the 2011 NBA Draft.
1. Rudy Gay: The salaries match, but Gay is coming off of a bad shoulder injury and has an extra year (player option) on his deal that would pay him $19.3 million in 2014-15. While Gay is a better scorer and shooter than Iguodala and people believe he hasn’t reached his full potential, I don’t want to take on another big contract. Rudy Gay isn’t the type of player who takes the Sixers to the next level and I need to see a full year of a player they drafted #2 overall in Evan Turner.
2. Chris Kaman: Has one year left on his contract at $12.7 million and would give the Sixers a legit post scorer that they don’t have. He played in only 32 games this season due to injury and his minutes were down due to the emergence of NBA Rookie of the Year Blake Griffin and his running mate DeAndre Jordan. In the 09-10 season, he averaged a career best 18.5 ppg and pulled in 9.2 rpg. This is a “win-win” to me. You’d get Kaman for a year, put him in the starting lineup, and let him walk after the season.
3. The Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavs have a $14.5 million dollar trade exception acquired in the Lebron James deal. If the Cavs are that high on Iguodala, they could send anything from draft picks to the rights of a player, or a player that makes much less than Iguodala, since the trade doesn’t have to match dollar for dollar like typical NBA trades. This is another way the Sixers could dump his salary and receive cap space and draft picks. Remember, the 2012 NBA Draft is going to be loaded.
There you have it! Me personally, I would go for either options two or three,
but that’s just me. Bottom line, Iguodala’s time is up in Philly and he has
to go.
