Trade Time for Andre Igoudala

It’s time to make a move.  With the team struggling through another slow start and with minimal prospects of pushing into a playoff spot, now seems as good a time as ever for the 76ers to unload the ever-underachieving Andre Igoudala.  With the team anchored at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and Andre putting up pedestrian per-game averages (13, 5 and 5), it is unlikely that this will be the season that he step’s out of the shadows and into franchise star status, which has been expected each of the past several seasons. 

Such expectations were overblown this past summer, as Andre excelled on the star-studded, gold medal-snatching Team USA squad.  It was largely considered that Andre’s successes this summer could be a sign of things to come for the season.  However, it needs to be taken into account that his solid statistics, along with the team’s overall success, came with him as a complementary player; not quite the role Philadelphia has expected of him in his six plus year with the Sixers. 

So, if the 76ers continue to refuse to surround Igoudala with the parts necessary for both sides to find succe ss (say a legitimate go-to guy and a premier post player), then they might as well ship him out while his value is still high.

One of the most concerning out of the myriad of problems surrounding recent Sixer squads is the lack on identity; a trait that extends from leadership.  Just look at how the culture of the Celtics changed when they added Mr. Intensity, Kevin Garnett.  Andre Igoudala has no distinguishable identity and thus neither does the team that looks to him for leadership.  For all his basketball abilities, Igoudala is not a leader, and at this point it would be simpler to ship him out than to try to continue to build around him, which has proven unsuccessful thus far. 

A trade scenario could potentially pan out well for both involved parties, as Igoudala’s combination of athleticism and defensive abilities could serve well as a second fiddle somewhere.  Depending on the deal, the Sixers could open up cap space for future free agents, or acquire draft picks which could be used to stack the squad down the road.  Either way, the time has come for the two to part ways.  As it is obvious that what they have is not working, a separation seems to be the best option for the future of the franchise. 

 

 

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