SAN FRANCISCO — Former Warriors executive Bob Myers admitted this week that Golden State did not handle Andre Iguodala’s departure particularly well, adding that Iguodala made the entire situation much harder by being frustratingly reasonable about it.
Myers reflected on the decision to trade Iguodala in 2019 and acknowledged that, looking back, the organization could have handled things better.
The problem, according to people familiar with the matter, was that Iguodala never provided the satisfying public meltdown everyone usually gets when a respected veteran feels slighted.
“He was mature,” one former team official said. “Very inconvenient.”
Instead of spending months torching the organization in interviews, Iguodala reportedly accepted the situation, moved on, remained respected around the league and eventually returned to Golden State anyway, depriving everyone of years of easy podcast content.
Warriors staffers said this created an awkward dynamic in which the franchise had to confront its own decision without the benefit of being able to point at Iguodala and say, “See? This is why.”
Myers has since acknowledged that the organization should have shown more consideration to a player who helped define the Warriors’ championship era.
Iguodala’s response was reportedly measured, thoughtful and free of unnecessary drama.
Team officials described that as “extremely annoying.”
At press time, several former Warriors executives were said to be reviewing old transactions and quietly hoping everyone involved had been significantly less emotionally intelligent.
