Is Andre Iguodala taunting the Warriors or everyone else?

Here are some facts about Andre Iguodala.

Iguodala is smart, acerbic, and funny, based on what we as observers get to see. Iguodala is proud. (What high-end athlete isn’t?) Iguodala has been incredibly valuable to the Warriors’ historic run of success and two championships. Iguodala is 33 years old, outside the typical prime of an NBA wing. Iguodala is a free agent.

Here are some facts about the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors locked up Stephen Curry to a massive contract. Kevin Durant is next. The Warriors can expect an incredibly large tax bill just on account of the salaries owed to Curry, Durant, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson. The Warriors just convinced Shaun Livingston to take a small, short deal to stay. The Warriors rightfully believe they can win more titles with just their superstar core and spare parts, that Iguodala isn’t absolutely necessary to rampage over the NBA.

And so here we are.

Iguodala has been meeting with other NBA teams seemingly since midnight struck on the East Coast and the 2017 free agency period opened. Reports suggest Iguodala has no meeting scheduled with the Warriors, which is interesting.

What’s more interesting is who Iguodala is meeting with. The first squad Iguodala met with after midnight: the San Antonio Spurs, widely believed to be the Warriors’ top challenger in the West. On Saturday, Iguodala is set to meet with the Houston Rockets, perhaps the next great Warriors rival after acquiring Chris Paul.

Iguodala joining either team wouldn’t make them a favorite over Golden State, but it sure would tip the balance a bit closer to neutral both by damaging the Warriors’ depth and giving the new team a wing defender to get inside of Durant’s shirt (and maybe head).

But of course, this could all be a game to Iguodala. One presumes no meeting with the Warriors is necessary because Iguodala and the team both know what it would take to bring him back. Iguodala likes to play with the media and NBA colleagues. Perhaps he’s drawing this out to mess with the Spurs, the Rockets, and us. Perhaps he’s already winked at the Warriors and this is all performative.

Or perhaps the Warriors really aren’t going to break the bank to retain Iguodala, and he wants to twist the knife by flirting with all of Golden State’s biggest challengers before taking the most suitable offer. (We should note he also talked to the Lakers and Kings in the wee hours of free agency.)

With Iguodala, it’s hard to know. But it’s fascinating to watch.