Denver Nuggets Must Hold Off on Extending Andre Iguodala

The veteran swingman has no intention of making Denver a mere layover in his career, as he is open to re-signing with the team long term, according to the Denver AP (via NBA.com).

Andre Iguodala says he doesn’t want Denver to be just a stopover. The Nuggets wholeheartedly agree.

The Nuggets acquired the All-Star swingman from Philadelphia in the blockbuster trade that sent Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Iguodala is under contract for this season with a player option for 2013-14. At his introductory news conference at the Pepsi Center on Thursday, he said he told Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri he wants to be here a while.

On so many levels, that’s great, because Iguodala is a perfect fit for the Nuggets’ selfless dynamic. That said, though, Denver has to show some self-restraint here.

As athletic and diligent at Iguodala is, there’s no real way to gauge his market value in Denver right now. He became increasingly understated in Philadelphia, which as of right now, cannot be considered good or bad.

The point forward has never been a flamboyant star, he’s been an efficient one. He’s all about the concept of teamwork, and winning basketball games, and worries about individual performance later. And again, that’s great. To a point.

The problem with Iguodala’s penchant for seemingly efficient humility, is that there’s no way of telling if that’s what it, in fact, truly is right now. His numbers have declined over the past few seasons, and currently, there’s no way of knowing if that is the product of his willingness to embrace a diminished, more behind the scenes role, or if he’s actually on the downside of his career.

That’s why Denver has to wait, why it must wait. There’s nothing to be gained from making a long term decision this early in the game, especially considering that Iguodala has a player option for 2013 that would pay him nearly $16 million.

And that’s where the Nuggets’ edge comes in. While it’s tough to see Iguodala walking away from $16 million, he very well could, in favor of a longer term deal that secures him more money over the life of the contract. But in that case, the Nuggets will still be able to offer the most money next summer. So, in essence, Denver has all the time in the world, because Iguodala is either going to opt in, giving the Nuggets another year to decide his fate, or opt out and still prefer to maximize his earning potential through his incumbent team.

No, I’m not saying Iguodala trying to put Denver’s back against the wall; he’s not that type of athlete. He’s simply saying all the right things, which will inevitably turn out to be true; he’s going to want to remain with the Nuggets.

But while Iguodala is saying and doing all the right things, Denver must ensure it is following suit. And that involves sitting on their newest player’s contract situation, until they know for sure what the team has or doesn’t have in him.

Doing that minimizes the risk of offering a contract that instills buyers remorse not to far down the road. And the last thing the Nuggets should want to do is invest prematurely in a potentially Nene-esque situation.