THREE-TEAM IGUODALA DEAL INCLUDES SIX PLAYERS

In a 3-team trade, the Denver Nuggets signed unrestricted free agent guard-forward Andre Iguodala and traded him to the Golden State Warriors for a $9 million trade exception. The Utah Jazz signed unrestricted free agent combo guard Randy Foye and traded him and a second-round draft pick in 2018 to the Denver Nuggets, also trading shooting guard Kevin Murphy to Golden State. The Golden State Warriors traded swingman Brandon Rush, center Andris Biedrins, small forward Richard Jefferson, first-round picks in 2014 and 2017, and second-round picks in 2016 and 2017 to Utah.

What does it give the Golden State Warriors
By doing a sign-and-trade deal for UFA Iguodala, the Warriors can pay him more here (and are expected to sign him to a four-year deal). He gives the Warriors the do-it-all veteran star small forward they need to take their fast-improving squad to the next level, so this is a great addition for the Warriors. They also shed about $24 million in salary along the way (by moving Rush, Biedrins, and Jefferson), so it's hard not to like this transaciton. It does cost them significant future draft pick assets (heading to Utah), but Iguodala is probably worth it and they're in win-now mode. Murphy is a solid young talent who can fight for bench minutes at the wing positions.

What does it give the Denver Nuggets
Losing Iguodala hurts but the Nuggets are re-tooling significantly this off-season (having also let go of their award-winning GM and head coach). Foye can help bring stability and important depth to the Denver backcourt, and getting him here in a sign-and-trade allows the Nuggets to pay him what he's looking for. Meanwhile the $9 million trade exception allows the Nuggets to bring in $9 million more in salary than they send out in a trade over the next year (which can come in handy, since NBA trades usually require all the salary amounts being swapped to match up).

What does it give the Utah Jazz
After letting veteran stars {P Al Jefferson}, {P Paul Millsap}, and {P Mo Williams} leave this off-season in free agency, the Jazz are clearly rebuilding with youth. With that in mind it's unlikely they'll get much help from Biedrins or Jefferson, although Rush (if his knee is finally healthy) can be a rotation regular. All three players will have their contracts expire after the coming season. The key here for Utah is obviously the draft picks they get, including the two first-rounders. Not a bad haul for moving Murphy (who wasn't a regular for them) and helping Denver pay Foye the max.

Fantasy impact
Iguodala should keep producing at roughly the same rate as usual, since the Warriors and Nuggets are similarly up-tempo teams and Iguodala is a very consistent performer. He probably won't score more, but he may boost his assist totals kicking passes out to {P Stephen Curry} and {P Klay Thompson}. Iggy's arrival obviously hurts the fantasy prospects of second-year small forward {P Harrison Barnes}, who appears to be in line for a sixth man role after starting last season. In Denver Foye's fantasy fortunes take a small downturn, since he was a regular go-to starter at shooting guard in Utah and may have to come off the bench now with the Nuggets (since Denver already has {P Wilson Chandler} and {P Evan Fournier} at shooting guard). For the Jazz this trade opens up regular shooting guard minutes for {P Alec Burks}, although he may face some competition at the 2-spot from Rush. Don't expect much from Jefferson and Biedrins, both aging vets who aren't likely to push for big minutes with their the Jazz.