Andre Iguodala nearly signed with Rockets in offseason

The important Warriors bench man nearly made an unexpected move away from the Bay Area this offseason.

Warriors small forward Andre Iguodala nearly jumped ship this offseason, according to ESPN’s Chris Haynes. The 33-year-old considered joining the Houston Rockets before eventually re-signing with the Warriors on a four-year deal.

The Warriors did not anticipate a bidding war for the 2015 NBA Finals MVP, but they were shocked. Iguodala decided to test his luck in free agency, as he was not pleased with the Warriors’ initial offer. Consequently, Iguodala scheduled meetings with multiple NBA teams. Those teams included the Spurs, Kings, Rockets, 76ers, Timberwolves, Clippers and Jazz.

Initially, Iguodala met with the Spurs and Kings, but left with no particular interest. But, when he walked away from the meeting with Houston, he began to question his future. Just days after the Rockets traded for Chris Paul, the Rockets made one of the most impressive recruitment pitches ever, according to multiple sources close to Iguodala. Therefore, Iguodala cancelled all further meetings and flew back to Golden State to give the Warriors one final chance at re-signing him.

The Warriors now realized the legitimacy of the threat. Iguodala could be leaving and to make matters worse, to sign with a Western Conference title contender. For this reason, the Warriors put all of their chips into re-signing Iguodala and made him an offer that he couldn’t refuse.

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Eventually, Iguodala re-signed on a three-year, $48 million deal. As opposed to the Rockets’ four-year, $32 million offer. In the end, there’s no telling the real reason Iguodala re-signed. Whether it was for the money offered by Golden State or his loyalty for the Warriors. However, one thing is certain. Iguodala nearly joined the Houston Rockets this season, which would have significantly hurt the Warriors’ chances at back-to-back NBA Finals titles.