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ESPN report: Hornets inquire about Iguodala

Earlier today, we posted this bit of information about 76ers swingman Andre Iguodala: "There's been a lot of talk about including Iguodala in a trade, but as of right now, it seems the Sixers are not trying to trade Iguodala. There will need to be a change in upper management's thinking before Iguodala gets peddled because right now -- according to a source close to Iguodala -- he has been repeatedly assured that the team is not trying to trade him and does not want to trade him. Obviously, there is a difference between the Sixers trying to trade Iguodala, and a team approaching the Sixers with a great deal. There is no guard against the latter."

If you want to read that post, click here: Deep Sixer.

Earlier this afternoon, ESPN's Chris Broussard reported that the New Orleans Hornets inquired about a deal for Iguodala. The majority of the article is about New Orleans' attempts to bolster its roster, but here's the important part for Sixers fans:

"The Hornets are on the lookout for clubs that fall far short of expectations before the February trade deadline. The logic is that some of those bad or mediocre teams will be looking to dump good players with big contracts for expiring deals.

When that occurs, the Hornets hope Stojakovic's contract can help them make a splash. New Orleans is looking to trade his deal, which pays him $15.3 million this year, for a borderline All-Star type who complements Chris Paul.

The Hornets have already contacted Philadelphia about Andre Iguodala. But the Sixers, who aren't yet sure they're willing to move Iguodala, rebuffed them fairly quickly. Philadelphia's getting lots of calls about Iguodala and will have plenty of options if it decides to trade him.

New Orleans might be a viable one, with the Hornets capable of throwing in a young talent like Marcus Thornton or Marco Belinelli alongside Stojakovic.

Iguodala would seem to be a great fit alongside Paul, as long as the Hornets were able to keep some outside shooters (i.e. Belinelli)."

If you want to read Broussard's article, you can find that here: ESPN.

This piece of information seems to support the idea that the Sixers aren't yet at the point where they want to trade Iguodala, and especially not for anything less than "equal basketball value" (i.e. not expiring contracts). Last year, they were unwilling to trade for Tracy McGrady's expiring deal, and -- at least this early in the season -- the Sixers aren't that interested in Stojakovic's expiring deal, either.

Addition from pre-game here in Oklahoma City: Just finished watching Iguodala during pre-game shooting. He's definitely favoring his left foot (he has tendinitis in his right Achilles). You can check out the videos from the pre-game in the Deep Sixer player below on the right, and one should be embedded in this post. At the end of the workout, there were about five guys playing alternating 1-on-1 (winner stays) with assistant coach Aaron McKie. You can see on Iguodala's offensive possessions, he's not even landing with both feet, he's landing exclusively on his left foot. He also has a slight limp when walking.

About 30 minutes ago, Iguodala said he's aiming to play on Friday against the Dallas Mavericks, but that he's "trying to see if he can move," and that the injury isn't allowing him to move as quickly as usual. Iguodala said he "probably will" play against the Mavericks.

Also of note: When Iguodala returns, Doug Collins seemed to be considering (at some point) a starting lineup of Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, and Andre Iguodala. Collins said, "It could, it could," when asked if mention of him liking the Holiday/Turner combo might mean we'll see a starting lineup including those three.

Sixers play at the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. Game tips off at 8 p.m. EST.

--Kate

Each week, Kate will check in from the road and answer fan questions about the Sixers. Click here to ask Kate a question or e-mail her at kfagan@phillynews.com.