Andre Iguodala will remain with the Golden State Warriors after all. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Iguodala has accepted a three-year deal worth $48 million. The Warriors raised their initial offer of $13 million to $15 million to keep Iguodala, who was earlier reported to be interested in joining the Houston Rockets.
Wojnarowski reported that Golden State general manager Bob Myers met with Iguodala in Los Angeles Saturday. He flew back to the Bay Area with a commitment from Iguodala to remain with the NBA champions.
Warriors will keep core intact
With Iguodala’s commitment, the Warriors will keep their core intact as they try to win a second straight title in the coming season after reaching agreements with Stephen Curry, David West, and Shaun Livingston. Curry is expected to sign a five-year deal worth $201 million, the first supermax contract in NBA history that will pay him $40 million a season. The deal is seen as a reward for Curry’s efforts in giving the Warriors two titles in the last three years. With Curry leading the way, the Warriors won 207 regular-season games while he won two MVP awards.
In 2015, Curry averaged 30.1 points per game in 79 outings, but his output dipped to 25.3 points when Kevin Durant arrived last season.
It did not matter as the Warriors won their second NBA title in the previous three years, completing their run to the title with a 16-1 record in the postseason. Curry was considered as an underpaid superstar as he only made more than $12 million last season, the end of his four-year deal worth $44 million.
Livingston reached agreement with Warriors
The 31-year-old Livingston will remain with the Warriors after signing a three-year, $24 million contract as backup point guard. According to Zach Lowe of ESPN, the third year is partially guaranteed. The new deal will keep Livingston with the Warriors until the end of his career. Since he was drafted in 2004, Livingston has played for nine different teams.
He suited up for the Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Bobcats, Washington Wizards, Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat.
Like Iguodala, Livingston is a valuable backup player for the Warriors as he averaged 11.1 points, 5.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds per 36 minutes over the past three seasons, according to Basketball-Reference.com. With several key players now locked up to long-term deals, Durant is also expected to sign a new deal with the Warriors in the coming days. Durant declined the final year of his two-year contract with the Warriors, but he will sign a new one with a 20 percent increase on the first year.
