The Miami Heat’s acquisition of veteran Andre Iguodala got the attention of the NBA on Wednesday, with Iguodala explaining in a subsequent interview the reasons why he chose to play with the Heat for the next few years.
Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated asked Iguodala why he chose to sign a two-year, $30 million contract extension with the Heat when he had the option to become a free agent at the end of the season and re-sign with his former team, the Golden State Warriors.
“I really sat and thought about it. You try to assess what that means for yourself, for the family. You have to look at the landscape, too,” Iguodala said. “You go across the salary caps of every team. You do your homework as well. You have an agent run a number so it all makes sense. All of that plays a part in it.
“The makeup of the [Heat] had a lot to do with it. We have a lot of young talent. A lot of guys that are fearless that can play. What I feel that not so much they are missing, but what they can improve upon greatly, I can bring that whether it’s showing them on court or showing them in film or just being around me every day. I am going to take that level of play up a couple notches. Offensively, they’re really good. Defensively, there is some gamesmanship things I can put in the arsenal to make everyone better on the court.”
The 36-year-old Iguodala’s statistical numbers have declined from those of his peak years, but he offers the Heat plenty of postseason experience.
Prior to being dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies last year, Iguodala had been part of a Warriors team that had reached the NBA Finals for five consecutive years.
In three of those trips to the finals, the Warriors captured the NBA title, with Iguodala earning Finals MVP honors in 2015.
That battle-tested experience will come in handy for a Heat team that has only reached the postseason twice in the past five seasons.
Barring a total collapse by the Heat, making the playoffs this year will not be a problem with the team having a 34-16 record, the fourth-best record in the Eastern Conference.
Iguodala indicated that he expects to take a physical in Sacramento on Friday, with the Heat set to play the Kings there that night. Right now, a target date for Iguodala’s debut with the Heat is unknown.
