It's been rumored for the past two years, but it seems inevitable that Andre Iguodala will be traded at some point this season. With three years and almost $45 million with the player option invested in him, this 2-8 Sixers team is wasting his talents and their time. At 26 years old, Andre is in his prime, and ready to help a contender win a championship. Unfortunately he hasn't been playing his best basketball after an Achilles injury forced him out of two games, but coming off this summer's national team performance, his trade value is still very high.
So the question becomes: When? When will Rod Thorn and Ed Stefanski decide to pull the trigger on a deal that sends Andre to Dallas or Portland or Oklahoma City? It's not enough to dump his salary and wait out a few expiring contracts. We need picks and young talent in return. Andre's a world class athlete and would be a tremendous asset to any team capable of contending over the next three years (unlike us). My first choice would be a big man that can defend -- the black hole at the 5-spot is too big to ignore, even though I'm not giving up on Spencer Hawes as a capable backup. Second would be a wing that can shoot next to Evan Turner, but there's plenty of wing talent in the 2011 draft pool so I'd make that a distant two.
Either way, it appears as if Andre will be wearing a different jersey by the trade deadline. Getting younger, shedding salary, and building the core for a contender in 3-4 years should be the idea. God willing, a plan is being developed by the front office.