Almost instantly after the Warriors won their second title in three years last month, talk in Golden State turned to the free agency of Andre Iguodala. The veteran finished up a four-year deal at the end of last season and rumors were flying about who he’d be meeting with when July 1 came around. San Antonio, Houston, Los Angeles and Sacramento were just a few of the conference rivals linked to Iggy.
But shortly after the free agent period began, Iguodala put pen to paper on a three-year deal worth $48 million. In the weeks since signing, most with the Warriors said they were fairly confident that Iguodala would ultimately stay in the Bay Area. Steve Kerr, joining Tolbert and Lund on KNBR Wednesday afternoon, took it one step further. The head coach said there was never a doubt in his mind that his versatile leader off the bench would return.
“I know Andre well and I know he had no desire to go anywhere else,” Kerr said. “But he’s a good agent, I can tell you that. He used his leverage well, and created some, and he and his agent did a good job. I’m really happy for him, he’s helped us win two championships. So I’m thrilled to have him back for three more years and I think he’s gonna help us win a lot more games.”
Though it would be understandable for the Warriors to be at least slightly frustrated with Iguodala playing them to get more money, Kerr was nothing but praiseworthy of his tactics. The coach was equally appreciative of his owners’ willingness to shell out the cash.
“That’s smart, that’s how you play the game,” Kerr said. “I give Joe (Lacob) credit, Joe stepped up, and Peter (Guber), and obviously they’re spending a lot of money. But we know we’ve got this window and hopefully it’ll last a while, but it never does. You get into a cycle like we’re in right now you’ve gotta enjoy it and make the most of it and you have to have an ownership group that’s willing to spend the money to make the most of that window. You know, Andre’s such a big part of it and it’s great that he can be on board the next few years.”
The full interview with Kerr is available below. To hear his comments on Iguodala’s free agency, skip to the 1:15 mark.
