Kerr, Warriors leaving Andre alone to make retirement decision originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
JaMychal Green putting pen to paper Monday means the Warriors now officially have 13 players with a guaranteed contract heading into the 2022-23 NBA season.
Mac McClung, who produced endless highlights for Golden State during Summer League action, is among those expected to compete for the roster’s 15th spot.
The 14th spot on the team’s roster, however, is reserved for Andre Iguodala, an essential locker room leader who is pondering retirement after earning his fourth championship ring this summer.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr is patiently waiting for Iguodala’s decision.
“I leave Andre alone,” Kerr told Anthony Slater of The Athletic on Monday. “He knows where we stand. If he wants to come back, we’d love to have him. The one thing we feel strongly about with Andre is we want to give him whatever space and time he needs to make a decision. I’m leaving him alone. Whenever he makes his decision is fine with us.”
Returning to the Bay this past season after two years with the Miami Heat, Iguodala played 31 games for the Warriors and averaged 4.0 points per contest. He made seven appearances in the playoffs and was on the floor for the final minute of the championship-clinching win over the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals.
While he served as a mentor for Golden State’s youth and even its All-Stars — like when Andrew Wiggins needed a pep talk during Game 3 of the Finals — Iguodala doesn’t have any interest in taking up a coaching role.
He will either play another season or call it a career.
RELATED: Wiseman sitting behind Loon a ‘healthy growth situation’
“The thing that I don’t want to see misconstrued, or I don’t want the perception thrown out there, is that I’m a coach,” he told NBC Sports Bay Area in July. “I don’t want to get thrown into the ‘just go coach.’ That’s not a route I’m looking forward to taking. Not at all.”
If Iguodala wants to play again, the Warriors will happily take him back — a player who has more than earned the team’s patience.
Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast
