Golden State Paid a First to Clear Iguodala
Golden State traded Andre Iguodala and a protected future first-round pick to Memphis for Julian Washburn in July 2019, creating a traded-player exception. The move was tied to the Warriors' D'Angelo Russell sign-and-trade and the hard-cap pressure that followed it. In other words, Golden State was buying financial flexibility more than basketball return. Washburn was waived on July 17 and never played a regular-season game for the Warriors, leaving the cap mechanics as the only meaningful benefit from this transaction itself.
Memphis Never Needed Iguodala to Play
Iguodala did not appear in a game for Memphis, but the Grizzlies still converted his contract into another transaction. At the February 2020 deadline, Memphis sent Iguodala, Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill to Miami in the three-team deal that brought Justise Winslow and Dion Waiters from the Heat and Gorgui Dieng from Minnesota. Because Crowder and Hill were also outgoing assets, the full incoming package cannot be credited to Iguodala alone. It still shows that Memphis preserved transactional value rather than buying him out for nothing.
The Warriors Pick Became a Major Memphis Trade Chip
The protected first-rounder ultimately conveyed in 2024 at No. 14. Memphis did not keep the pick until draft night. In June 2023, the Grizzlies sent that Golden State first, along with the No. 25 pick and Tyus Jones in the three-team Kristaps Porzingis transaction that brought Marcus Smart to Memphis. Boston received the Warriors pick, which later became the No. 14 slot. Portland selected Bub Carrington there before sending his rights to Washington, so Carrington's NBA career is not Memphis value; the important Memphis value is the pick's use in acquiring Smart.
The Context Saves Golden State From an F
The completed return is lopsided, but Golden State's objective was unusual. NBA.com's later Warriors timeline explicitly describes the Iguodala move as a salary dump required by the cap consequences of the Russell sign-and-trade. That context explains why the Warriors willingly attached a distant first to a franchise icon instead of seeking equal player value. It does not erase the cost. Memphis received a veteran contract it could later package, $2 million in cash and a future first that became a central asset in the Smart trade, while Golden State's incoming player was waived within ten days.
Final Verdict
Grizzlies Win — Golden State D+, Memphis A. The Warriors attached a protected first-round pick and $2 million to Andre Iguodala in a salary-clearing move that brought back Julian Washburn, who was waived ten days later. Memphis never got on-court minutes from Iguodala, but it later included him in the Miami deal that returned multiple players, and the Warriors first became the No. 14 pick in 2024 after Memphis used it in the 2023 trade for Marcus Smart. Golden State's cap objective was real and helps explain the decision, but Memphis extracted far more traceable asset value from the transaction.