Andre Iguodala Identifies Major Problem With Today's NBA Players

Andre Iguodala usually has a pretty good pulse on the league. As a player, he was an All-Star, a 6th man, and a four-time NBA champion. He also served as the president of the Players’ Association. When Iguodala has something to say, you know it’s a thoughtful and analyzed comment. 

Andre recently spoke about how the NBA looks different from how it used to and the changes may be for the worse. 

“You got 1/3 of the league tanking. You got guys who will never contribute to winning but have big numbers and then get paid. All agents do is say what your numbers are then match them to whoever gets paid high in that category so it’s like I can go average 24 because it’s not as hard as it used to be… So now it’s like why play the right way to win when you can make more money getting buckets.”

The NBA certainly has a problem with tanking. There’s a huge chunk of the league that will spend the last few months of the season actively not trying to win. Andre believes that part of this comes from how agents and players try to get paid. 

It’s certainly true that some guys just want to put up stats and get paid. However, where Andre may have missed the mark is that now, defenders and specialized role players are actually making more than ever before. Guys like Jrue Holiday or Rudy Gobert have been able to earn tons of money despite not being classic “bucket getters”. 

So it’s true that the NBA needs to address the issues with tanking, but how players are getting paid probably isn’t the root of the issue.