Sixers Reportedly Sign Iguodala

Several sources have indicated that the Sixers have agreed to terms with Andre Iguodala. Of course this is what pretty much every Sixers fan wants to see. It has not, however, been confirmed by Sixers' President Ed Stefanski, nor by Iguodala's agent. They say there is no word but judging by the old adage "where there's smoke, there's fire", this deal seems done.

Let's assume for the sake of argument that the deal is in fact complete. Iguodala signs for about $13 million per year. This team just got a lot more expensive but it's nothing to cry over. You can't expect to build a quality team for cheap (see: Boston), but you also can't expect that spending money brings you a championship (see: New York). I believe the Sixers are spending the money wisely by investing in guys they drafted and developed (Iguodala, Williams, Young, Dalembert) and supplementing them with quality veterans who can fill important roles and lead (Miller, Brand, and to some extent Evans). The loss of Smith hurts but if Speights can continue to develop, he might be a nice surprise. Plus, you can shuffle the lineup to go small and tough by bumping up Iguodala and Young and sliding Williams or Green in. The best thing about this signing of Iguodala is that the team can move on and just focus on the upcoming year without distractions.

I heard an interesting proposal brought up by a friend the other day who asked if I would trade Iguodala straight up for Michael Redd. First, take a second to reflect on what your initial reaction is to that. Done? You probably are like me and don't have a strong initial reaction. You know Redd is a good player who has outside range but you wonder what he'd do for the Sixers. He has never worked in a fluid offense with a great point guard so it's hard to compare him to the luxuries that Iguodala has, but still there are some takeaways from comparing. First off, Iguodala actually shoots better overall from the field even though he averages a touch less points. Iguodala is better at rebounding mostly because of his size but they are probably the same type of passer. Redd obviously shoots better from beyond the arc (even though he really frustrates me when he insists on firing up shots while in a funk) but not by a significant margin. The reason there is Iguodala chooses his 3-pointers better since he doesn't have a dead-on quick release shot. The other main factor is that Iguodala's defense is better in every way. He is stronger, gets more steals, has more length to break up passing lanes, wreaks more "havoc", and generally is assigned the toughest player on the other team. So just like you probably thought, the jury is still out for me. Redd would probably add some better perimeter shooting and do well in a system with Miller at the point (giving us a true SG), but could it outweigh the obvious downgrade on defense for a team that plays the perimeter tough? Could the Sixers survive games against Boston, LA, or Cleveland with Iguodala not there to hassle Pierce, Kobe, or LeBron? Tough to say. I'm willing to give Iguodala this year, as the clear second option we've said he is, to show us his true value and benefit for the team before I rush to decide on dealing him.