Getty Golden State Warriors stars Andre Iguodala and Stephen Curry attend the Curry Cup.
Believe it or not, the Golden State Warriors‘ big trip to Japan for a pair of preseason games against the Washington Wizards is now just three weeks away. As the 2022 NBA champions get set for training camp, though, one big question has yet to be answered for Dub Nation.
Is Andre Iguodala coming back for his 19th season — and eighth go-round with the Bay Area Crew — or has the time finally come for the 2015 Finals MVP and four-time champ to ride off into the sunset?
While Warriors head coach Steve Kerr doesn’t know the answer to that question, he revealed during a Thursday guest spot on 95.7 The Game‘s Damon & Ratto that he’ll be conferring with the baller sooner rather than later.
“We’ll touch base in the next couple days,” Kerr said, while relaying that the organization is fully behind him regardless of how things play out.
“[Team president Bob Myers] and I are giving him the space to make whatever decision he wants. We’ll support him either way, but we hope he comes back, I can tell you that.”
Kerr Has a Firm Belief That Iggy Still Has Something to Offer in the Dubs’ Title Defense
Iguodala drew raves for his impact on the Warriors’ locker room and behind the scenes last season, but after suffering through injuries to his hip, knee and back, some wonder whether he still has any ability to contribute on the hardwood. After all, the 38-year-old was limited to just 31 regular-season games and seven playoff bouts last season.
However, Kerr has no doubt that the one-time All-Star (with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2012) continues to bring value to the court. “He’s still good enough to win games,” the coach opined. “He proved that last year.”
Having said that, Iguodala’s veteran presence and high basketball IQ clearly became an invaluable resource for his younger teammates in 2021-22, with Kerr referring to him as an “irreplaceable leader” in the locker room.
“Even though he gets credit for it, it’s not enough. When we talk about Andre’s leadership and what he meant to [Andrew Wiggins] and Gary Payton, Jordan Poole, Draymond [Green], Klay [Thompson], Steph [Curry] – Andre was instrumental in just keeping us on the path,” Kerr said.
Iguodala the Coach? Not Likely, He Says…
While there are some who would like to see Iggy continue on as part of the Dubs’ roster in a Udonis Haslem-esque role, other believe that it’s time for him to join the coaching ranks as part of Kerr’s staff.
That doesn’t appear to be something that he’s particularly interested in, though.
On a July episode of Dubs Talk, Iguodala told NBC Sports Bay Area that coaching isn’t something he really aspires to do. Quite the opposite, in fact.
“The thing that I don’t want to see misconstrued, or I don’t want the perception thrown out there, is that I’m a coach,” he said. “I don’t want to get thrown into the ‘just go coach.’ That’s not a route I’m looking forward to taking. Not at all.”