Andre Iguodala’s 1st meeting will be with Spurs soon after free agency starts, per report

Andre Iguodala will meet with the San Antonio Spurs “soon after” free agency starts, according to ESPN’s Chris Haynes. The meeting is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles and that could mean late Friday night, although some time on Saturday might be a safer guess.

Rumors that Iguodala might leave the Golden State Warriors have persisted for more than a week now. Iguodala is a free agent and the 33-year-old seemingly wants to get paid, since this is likely going to be his final major contract. The Warriors are reportedly worried about paying him more than the mid-level exception, worried about the luxury tax that is creeping up on Golden State’s payroll. When the Warriors sign Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry to deals worth about $350 million combined over the next five years this offseason, they will be on pace for the highest payroll in league history. Any extra money spent means harsh penalties, especially when the “repeater tax” kicks in.

The odds still seem likely that Iguodala will return to Golden State. This is a negotiation, and Iguodala and his agent are playing hardball with the team to make sure they know that he’s not taking a discount. (Nor should he! The Warriors, of all teams, can afford it.) But the meeting with the Spurs, and the team’s apparent worries about what signing Iguodala would do to their payroll, prove that there’s at least smoke here.

It still seems likely that Iguodala’s top preference would be returning to Golden State. Who would want to leave that team right now? But he might be at peace with leaving the team with two rings already if the Warriors won’t pay him what he want and someone else — say, San Antonio — will.