David Lee is on the go. The Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors have agreed to trade Lee, according to Marc Stein of ESPN. According to Stein, via SportsCenter, the Celtics traded Gerald Wallace for the power forward.
According to Stein, on June 17, Lee’s representatives had a meeting with the Warriors, who decided to try to pursue a trade for the former All-Star following their championship victory. In the last year of a six-year, $79.5 million contract he signed in 2010, Lee, 32, will earn $15.49 million.
When he signed the contract, Lee was seen as a franchise cornerstone, and for four of his five seasons with Golden State, he served as an offensive pivot. Along with Andrew Bogut, he was a member of one of the league’s top big-man passing tandems and was selected to the Western Conference All-Star team in 2012–13.
But this past season, things were different since Draymond Green replaced Lee in the starting lineup due to a preseason injury. While Lee, the team’s highest-paid player, struggled to find a regular role off the bench, Green emerged as an emotional leader and a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. Despite Lee’s full health, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr did not start him in nine Warriors postseason games.
This month, Lee said to Marc Berman of the New York Post, “A lot of friends and family say, you haven’t played as much, you [probably] can’t stand Steve.” “I replied, ‘Off the court, I get along great with him, and he’s been very honest with me about where I stand.'” All you can ask for is that. Although I would prefer to play more, he has done a fantastic job coaching.”
When Lee finally had the chance to play in the playoffs, he showed everyone why he was once such a valuable player. In Golden State’s Game 3 defeat to Cleveland, he scored 11 points in 13 minutes, contributing to a rally in the fourth quarter that many considered as the series’ turning moment. Even though by Game 6 he was playing barely one minute, he was the epitome of the Warriors’ team-first philosophy.
Next summer, Lee will be a free agent without restrictions. He would be foolish to be content to mope around the bench once more. He might get a chance to see more playing time before signing a new contract with the Celtics.