Golden State Warriors Trade Rumors: David Lee Trade Coming In Offseason
Golden State Warriors trade rumors about David Lee have surfaced again. The Warriors are intent on completing a trade that involves Lee as soon as the NBA offseason begins, clearing up a lot of salary cap space for the franchise. The speculation about this came to an end when NBC Sports confirmed it in a report on Wednesday (June 17). Lee reportedly knows that the Warriors intend to trade him and he is on board with the process.
Lee is a former All-Star that signed with the Golden State Warriors as a free agent. The 2015-16 NBA season will be the final year in his six-year, roughly $80 million deal. He will make just under $15.5 million for the season and would then head into free agency. It appears that the Warriors want to deal him before that happens, though, as one of several moves the team wants to make to avoid paying some hefty luxury tax penalties.
For several seasons, Lee was a key component for the Warriors, averaging between 18.2 and 20.1 points for three straight years. His playing time took a hit in the 2014-15 NBA season, though, as his minutes dipped to just 18.4 a night. That got even lower in the postseason, mostly because he didn’t fit the scheme that Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was working with. Lee has averaged a double-double in four of his NBA seasons, showing that he does, indeed, have some value on the trade market.
As previously reported on the Inquisitr, there are a lot of players that could end up heading to free agency in July. That includes Rajon Rondo, Marc Gasol, LaMarcus Aldridge, Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Loves, DeAndre Jordan, and maybe even LeBron James. It means a lot of teams will be paying a lot of money to either retain players or lure a big name to town. That might make it difficult for the Warriors to convince another franchise to take on the salary of Lee.
David Lee just turned 32, showing that his value in the league might be slipping away. The up side is that he can help spread the floor, and that his deal only has one year left on it. It may take some work for the Golden State Warriors to trade him, and that may even require the team giving up an asset with him to make it work. There will definitely be trade rumors connecting the Warriors to any team that needs a big man, but it could be a while before a deal is finalized.
[Image Source: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images]
