Andre Iguodala returns to South Florida, an indication that the NBA is getting close to a return,
Forward’s return from California another sign NBA closer to return
In another sign of the NBA moving toward of a resumption of team training and then play, Miami Heat forward Andre Iguodala, who has spent the bulk of the league’s shutdown in California, has returned to South Florida.
That leaves Jimmy Butler and Solomon Hill, who remain in California, as the lone Heat players not in South Florida, where most of the team has remained sheltered since the league’s March 11 shutdown due to the new coronavirus pandemic.
While individual voluntary workouts resumed two weeks ago at AmericanAirlines Arena the NBA has yet to grant clearance for team sessions.
The league’s goal apparently is to have all players back in their team’s home market in June, when group work potentially could resume, depending on the league’s timetable, which could be clarified during a Friday Board of Governors teleconference.
Heat training camps both at AmericanAirlines Arena and then potentially at Disney World, where the league is considering resuming play in late July or early August, could leave Iguodala with more time to practice with the team than he has had since joining the Heat at the Feb. 6 NBA trading deadline.
Iguodala is under contract to the Heat through the 2021-22 season, although that season is a team option.
He signed a two-year extension, at $15 million per season, when he was acquired at the deadline from the Memphis Grizzlies. He is earning $17.2 million this season.
The 36-year-old three-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors recently reflected on joining the Heat, in an interview with Haute Living.
“Overall, Miami has been very welcoming,” he said. “The Miami Heat has this thing, ‘Miami HEAT Culture,’ and they like to joke [that] we are not for everyone. They really embrace not being for everyone. If [you] ask the other 29 teams in the NBA what’s a game like against the Miami Heat, you are going to get the same response: they play really hard, they are focused, they are locked into the game. …
“It’s a very family-oriented organization where they welcome you with open arms and once you become a part of the family, you are a part of the family for life and you can feel that right away.
“Whatever they can take care of, they will do it and that is pretty special. They give you a very warm welcome and once you step on the court it’s all business.”