Veteran F Andre Iguodala returns to Warriors on 1-year deal

Updated Aug. 10, 2021 8:48 p.m. ET

Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Free agent forward Andre Iguodala is returning to the Golden State Warriors, whom he helped win the 2015 championship on his way to becoming the NBA Finals MVP and then two more titles.

Iguodala signed a one-year contract Tuesday for the veteran minimum of $2,642,000.

For coach Steve Kerr, Iguodala's familiarity with the system is invaluable as the Warriors strive to make another deep postseason run once their roster is healthy again.

“I’m so happy to have Andre back. He knows our team better than anyone," Kerr said via text message. "He will be great tying our team together in many ways.”

After the Heat declined his $15 million team option last week, Iguodala will reunite with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and newly crowned Olympic gold medalist Draymond Green under Kerr — who is back from helping guide Green and the U.S. men’s Olympic team victory in Tokyo.

The 37-year-old Iguodala is a respected veteran who has meant so much to Golden State, with whom he won three titles between 2013 and 2019 before spending the past two seasons with Miami. The Warriors lost to Memphis in the play-in tournament this season, when Thompson missed a second straight year. This time he was recovering from surgery for a torn right Achilles tendon after sitting out the 2019-20 season following surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee suffered in the deciding Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals to champion Toronto.

Curry last week completed a $215 million, four-year contract extension that takes him through the 2025-26 season when he will be 38. It is his second $200-plus million deal.

The Warriors also have added forwards Nemanja Bjelica and Otto Porter Jr., on veteran minimum one-year contracts in free agency.

Playing 413 regular-season games with 84 starts for the Warriors, Iguodala has averaged 7.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.08 steals in 26.7 minutes. He also has shined in 104 postseason games and has made the fourth-most playoff appearances in franchise history.

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