Andre Iguodala agrees to deal with Golden State Warriors after Sacramento Kings pull offer

Iguodala turned down a four-year, $52 million contract with the Sacramento Kings, a $60 million five-year deal with the Nuggets, and a “lucrative” deal with the Mavericks. The Warriors were able to land Iguodala at a discount in comparison with a four-year, $48 million contract.

Golden State persevered, found the trade they needed, and landed a player who was chomping at the bit to join the young nucleus being guided by Mark Jackson. They flipped two players who served as the end of their depth chart along with a player who missed the entire 2012-2013 season with an ACL injury into cap space to land an elite, versatile player.

Whether the NBA is currently in a golden era probably doesn’t matter; what does matter is that the league seems to be in a great spot right now. Interest is high, money is flowing and the news cycle doesn’t sleep. The last part has never been more evident than at the onset of an already wild offseason.

What the Warriors did to earn such a gracious helping hand from the Jazz remains elusive, but it cleared the way for Golden State to sign free agent Andre Iguodala. It might have also completed the Warriors’ transition to becoming the most fun team in the NBA.

The three-way trade also gives the Warriors enough cap flexibility to sign rookie Serbian Nemanja Nedovic.

• Howard picks Rockets | Prada: How Morey got his man

At roughly $12 million a season annually, Iguodala is worth his contract. He’s a top-five perimeter defender in the NBA and a versatile offensive player that can handle the ball, pass and, after struggling initially in his career, hit spot-up threes. He won’t be an elite scorer, and he’s still sometimes prone to the occasional lapse in concentration offensively, but on the right team, those issues can be covered up.

Big picture, though, the Warriors secured a commitment from an All-Star-level player that fits their system well, with him taking less money to come to the Bay. It’s much easier to find cheap replacements for Jack, Landry and Rush than it is to find someone like Iguodala, because veterans will follow Iguodala’s lead and take less money to flock to a winning situation. That’s why you make this signing 10 times out of 10.

• Roth: Why Dwight Howard annoys everyone

• The case for all 5 of Dwight’s options

For his part, Iguodala seems to be taking the news all in stride.

• The NBA’s top 90 free agents | All NBA free agency news

The Nuggets seem like an obvious choice, considering he just played for them this past season. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that Iguodala has already met with new head coach Brian Shaw and GM Tim Connelly in Los Angeles, as they try to convince him to return on a lucrative multi-year deal.

As noted when Iguodala opted out of the final year of his contract, Denver actually serves as somewhat of an ideal location for Iguodala: he wants to play for a contender where he wouldn’t be counted on as a No. 1 scorer. The Nuggets are a young team that just managed to finish third in the Western Conference, but couldn’t keep it up in the postseason after injuries. They allowed Iguodala to contribute in the way which fits him best: as an elite defensive talent with the ability to contribute offensively as he pleases, allowing him to finish tied for third on the team with 13.0 points per game and second with 5.4 assists. The reason he opted out was for long-term financial stability rather than lack of fit.