Golden State Warriors Rumors: Andre Iguodala Wants To Be Traded?
Andre Iguodala turned heads on Thursday night after the veteran shooting guard asked to be traded after learning Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr is not planning to start him next season.
Iguodala played a key role in their title run last season as he provided a huge lift when Kerr listened to his coaching staff and started the 31-year-old guard.
Iguodala, who did not start in a single regular-season game last season, responded to the challenge as he posted impressive numbers in the 2015 NBA Finals series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The 11-year veteran averaged 16.3 points on top of 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists, which was enough for him to be named the 2015 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.
But despite playing beyond expectations against the LeBron James-led Cavaliers, Kerr said on Thursday that Iguodala will still come off the bench in the 2015-16 NBA season.
"I don't anticipate changing anything," Kerr said via San Jose Mercury News. "We won 67 games with the group that we had. And we've got our core back, just about everybody's back. And more than likely we'll play it the same way. But you never know how things go. We'll see. But the good thing is we're capable of playing a lot of different ways."
Reacting to Kerr's statement, Iguodala posted on Twitter that he wants to be traded.
The tweet earned mixed reactions with most fans begging him to stay for another possible title run. One fan reached out to Iguodala and said that the Warriors need him next season, while another one seemed unsurprised, saying that the former Arizona standout earned the right to start next season. Iguodala quickly revealed, though, that he is not serious about his trade request.
Kerr revealed in the interview that he has already informed Iguodala about returning to his old role right after winning the championship.
"I saw him at the postgame party in Cleveland, went up and said, "Congrats, MVP, you were incredible, what a job. And you're going back to the bench next year.' And he laughed. And I laughed. Obviously kind of a joke," Kerr added in the interview.
Iguodala, who has spent the past two seasons in the Bay Area, averaged 7.8 points on top 3.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 77 regular-season games last season.
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