Andre Iguodala's Personal Sacrifice Started a Trend and Helped Transform Warriors Into a Dynasty

Despite residing in sunny California, the Warriors were far from an NBA Free Agent destination after the 2012-13 season. Yet, there was one under-the-radar contributor who saw what Golden State -- at that point led by a skinny sensation and his sharpshooting sidekick -- had the potential to be.

Andre Iguodala's decision wasn't televised. He wasn't taking his talents to South Beach...yet. Iguodala was solidly tier 2; an afterthought on the Sportscenter bottom line.

Still, it would be Iggy's defensive intensity, and willingness to sacrifice shots and minutes, that helped form the Dubs' appropriately-mentioned death lineup. Iguodala taught these Warriors how to win when no one else would. Three Larry O'Brien trophies later, and Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green returned the favor on Monday night.

In 2012, Iguodala's shot totals were nearly cut in half, and his overall output suffered as a result. Just two years prior he'd been an All-Star with Philadelphia, finally receiving the recognition he deserved. Yet, that's not the type of player, or person, Iguodala was or is. His contributions very rarely show up in the stat sheet. It's those intangibles that were highly-sought after at the 2020 trade deadline, even though Iggy's best days are far behind him.

Iguodala was asked to guard the best players in the game on a nightly basis, especially come playoff time -- LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard, just to name a few. While no man could single-handedly shut down any of those tremendous talents, Steve Kerr trusted Iguodala to limit superstar output in the biggest of moments. That shouldn't be understated.

Durant, ironically enough, would join the Dubs a year after falling victim to Iguodala and Co. in the Western Conference Finals. He, like Iguodala before him, was willing to sacrifice status for postseason success.

Seven years after Igoudala's 'decision', and Golden State is one of the prominent free agent destinations every offseason, in part due to the ingenuity of Joe Lacob, and the risk of Iguodala, who started a league-wide trend and contributed to a dynasty in the process.