Andre Iguodala: Former Denver Nuggets Swingman Signs With Golden State Warriors

 

By Michael Moraitis--Featured Columnist

Former Denver Nuggets swingman Andre Iguodala is moving out west for the 2013-14 season and beyond as he has signed a four-year deal with the Golden State Warriors.

Per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Iguodala has signed a four-year deal worth $48 million with the Warriors.

Andre Igoudala has reached agreement with Golden State on a four year, $48 million deal with the Warriors, league source tells Y! Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 5, 2013

Iguodala originally had a player option for next season with Denver but decided to opt out and test the free-agent market. Iguodala was set to make roughly $16 million with his Nuggets option but instead chose to explore getting a new contract for more years.

The former Nuggets guard/forward averaged 13 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game.

While his scoring numbers were some of the lowest in his career, Iguodala still remains one of the better all-around players in the league on both sides of the ball as a talented offensive player and an even more talented defender.

The Warriors will enjoy his services greatly for the next four years. Not only does he figure to help them out in the depth department on offense, but Iguodala will now give Golden State the lock down defender they need to hold opposing teams stars in check.

On top of that, the Warriors can now make either Klay Thompson or Harrison Barnes expendable in their attempts to pull off a sign-and-trade that will bring free agent Dwight Howard to the team. A move such as that will make Golden State instant NBA Finals contenders next season.

On the flip side, Denver's bad defensive squad figures to get even worse without Iguodala. The Nuggets allowed more points per game than any other team in the NBA last season and that was with Iguodala in the lineup every night.

Now Denver must look to bring in another guard and/or forward who can help match Iguodala's production on offense and defense, but with the money they save the Nuggets should be able to replace him with a quality player or two as free agency continues.

If that turns out not to be the plan for the Nuggets, guys like Wilson Chandler and Evan Fournier figure to be the biggest beneficiaries of Iguodala's departure and should see increased minutes as a result.

Will any of these players have the all-around impact Iguodala delivers? That remains to be seen.