© Kelley L Cox | 2016 Jun 5
The Warriors traded Andre Iguodala to the Memphis Grizzlies this offseason, but not before the Cleveland Cavaliers tried to convince them otherwise. Cleveland offered Golden State a trade for Iguodala that included J.R. Smith according to a report from Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor.
Golden State reportedly declined the trade for three reasons: The draft picks sought by the Cavs included lighter protections than the ones the Warriors ultimately gave to Memphis, Golden State didn’t want to take on Smith’s $4.3 million contract, and acquiring Smith would not have allowed the Warriors to receive a trade exception that can help them make future moves.
Instead the Warriors sent Iguodala and his $17 million contract, along with a first-round pick that is top-four protected, to the Grizzlies in order to clear cap space for D’Angelo Russell and his max deal. Iguodala is expected to be moved again soon by Memphis, who are in the middle of a full scale rebuild after trading Marc Gasol and Mike Conley in consecutive seasons.
Smith, 33, seems to be nearing the end of a memorable career. Smith basically sat out last season after requesting a trade from the Cavs, appearing in just 11 games while averaging 6.7 points per contest. It was assumed that Smith would join forces once again with LeBron James after he was waived on Monday, but according to Adrian Wojarowski of ESPN, that will not happen.
Once guard JR Smith clears waivers, the Los Angeles Lakers are an unlikely destination, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 15, 2019