First we took a look at why Elton Brand had to be amnestied. Now, we go into the complicated world of trading Andre Iguodala. The main goal for me is to get a young big with star potential, or at least a star big. We don’t need Monta Ellis, or Rudy Gay. No. No. No. No.* It’s true we need scoring but Monta Ellis is another Lou Williams and Gay is paid around the same amount as Iguodala but doesn’t have nearly the same amount of impact on the court Iguodala would bring. For me, both players are too one dimensional in their game and are maybe above average at their game at best: Scoring.
*Multiply the amount of “No”s there by infinity.
So, why should Andre be traded? Why trade your best player? And, to be clear, Iguodala is far beyond the best player on this team. He may not be the best scorer. He’s not. But, he’s at least average or above average in so many ways. He’s able to impact the game in so many areas. And while the only thing that matters in the end is points, the things he does on the court translate into those points. Losing him will set the team back, no matter what the return is.
So again, why trade away your best player? For me, I believe that because of the Elton Brand contract, there’s no money to get a top scorer that the Sixers need to go along side Iguodala. Also, Iguodala is the team’s best trade piece. I want Andre gone only because he doesn’t seem to fit in for what the team is doing: gathering young talent to build a contender. By the time, Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, and other young guys hit their peaks, Andre will start to slow down.
In a perhaps bizarre or ironic twist, Iguodala represents the Sixers: Not bad but not great. And I see trading him as moving forward to the goal of a championship. I’m looking down the line. There will be an immediate negative impact on the court when he’s gone. But, long term, things will work out if the Sixers do the right thing in finding their big man.
And that’s the key. Trading Iguodala is only worth it if the Sixers get that big man. This big man will be the guy that the Sixers build their championship team around as well as Holiday, maybe Turner, and the needed scorer.
So spend your money on the big guy and scorer. The money spent on Brand and Iguodala is where you’ll get that money. So, they have to go. That’s like my thought process in all of this. The original goal was Evan Turner, Jrue Holiday, and that big guy. The money should be spent on who you think is going to grow into the star you need to win it all. Iguodala doesn’t fit into that plan so he has to go. Just like there’s nothing wrong with Brand’s game, there’s nothing wrong with Iguodala. It’s just that he’s not needed on this team anymore. I keep looking at the Jazz as a nice trade partner for the Sixers. I actually would like to see the team go after Derrick Favors, a pick, and a wing player. Let’s go with Gordon Hayward as the wing player.
Pull that trade off and then you get Holiday, Turner, Hayward, Favors, and a drafted Center (perhaps from Utah trade). I could live with seeing how that builds. It’s better than looking at this current roster knowing that there’s no championship coming with this roster. I don’t want Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap but if the Sixers did get them I could live with it. Only reason why I wouldn’t want them is because they won’t launch this team into contention and they’re already in their prime. By the time the other youngsters reach peak, the big guys are going to start looking like Elton Brand.
I hope that explains why I think Iguodala should be traded. The feelings for Iguodala will always be split on positive and negative. It might be time for him to just go to where he might be more appreciated by the fans as well as the team management. In the end, I think now is the time to trade Andre Iguodala.