After Kawhi Leonard left them at the altar to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Lakers filled out the rest of their roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis with a host of solid veterans like DeMarcus Cousins, Danny Green and Avery Bradley.
While the Lakers' current roster makes a lot more sense than last season's iteration, Rob Pelinka reportedly is leaving the final spot on his roster open for a guy he believes can be an "X-factor" for the Lakers.
That player is Andre Iguodala, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
"There are no regrets about the way they pursued Kawhi Leonard," McMenamin said Tuesday on "SportsCenter." "Now, they have a roster they feel happy about. They feel good about the way they were able to build post-Kawhi, getting Danny Green, getting a guy like DeMarcus Cousins, bringing back some continuity from last season, but leaving a roster spot open to potentially get Andre Iguodala if he is bought out of his $17.2 million deal. A 2015 Finals MVP, a guy who was repped by Lakers GM Rob Pelinka when he was an agent, and a guy who just as recently as Game 6 of the NBA Finals, dropped 22 points, almost bringing it back to Toronto.
"They feel like he could be an X-factor type of guy to add with the group they already have."
Iguodala, the 2015 NBA Finals MVP, was traded by the Warriors to the Memphis Grizzlies in order to be able to clear enough cap space for the Dubs to be able to complete the sign-and-trade that netted them D'Angelo Russell in exchange for Kevin Durant and a first-round draft pick.
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The Grizzlies reportedly have no plans to buy out the veteran swingman, hoping instead to swap him to a contender for assets. If the Grizzlies do buy out Iguodala either before the season begins or shortly thereafter, he should have no shortage of suitors for his services, including the Rockets and aforementioned Clippers.
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If the Lakers somehow land Iguodala, it would be yet another perfect complementary piece alongside James and Davis.
As for the Warriors, the five-time defending Western Conference champions are hoping the combination fo Steph Curry, Draymond Green and D'Angelo Russell can keep them in the West hunt until Klay Thompson can return from injury.
If both the Lakers and Warriors make the playoffs (they should), it's hard not to imagine what it would be like for Iguodala to face his old mates now looking to help James secure another ring instead of trying to derail his title quest.
