Grizzlies has ‘great confidence’ they can trade Andre Iguodala, but Rockets likely out of race

The Memphis Grizzlies have “great confidence” that they can trade exiled forward Andre Iguodala before the trade deadline, but the Houston Rockets have already given up on three- and four-team trade permutations to acquire him, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe (via Sagar Trika of Blazers’ Edge).

The Rockets have wanted Iguodala ever since they took their best shot at him in the summer of 2017, making the Golden State Warriors sweat with a juicy three-year offer that had him highly enticed to switch jerseys. Kevin Durant leaving money on the table in negotiations allowed the Warriors to sign him to a three-year, $48 million deal, now with the final $17.2 million remaining on his salary.

Houston has tried to device tricky permutations to haul the veteran Swiss army knife, but have gotten little traction, likely taking them out of the race altogether.

The Grizzlies have been reportedly hellbent in getting a first-round pick in any deal involving Iguodala, but teams around the league have a clear disconnect with their asking price, hence the long wait to deal him. Iguodala is working out away from the team, as he made it clear he had no intention of helping kickstart a rebuilding effort after six seasons with a playoff-bound team in the Warriors.

The latest reports indicate Memphis is willing to listen to all offers, but that does not solve the major X in the equation — would they be willing to take something other than a first-rounder as compensation?

If they are, more doors could open in the near future. Memphis has reportedly been willing to haul in long-term contracts in trades for Iguodala, which should make a few teams spin the wheel for the cagey veteran once the deadline rolls around.

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