Golden State sends Lee packing
David Lee‘s time in Oakland was all but numbered. The All-Star forward suffered a set-back this past season after a hamstring injury, losing his spot in the starting line-up to young Draymond Green. As we all know, the Warriors got off to a red hot 21-2 start and Steve Kerr had no choice but to play Lee in limited minutes even after he came back from injury.
Lee had a small impact during the NBA Finals when the team went to the small ball rotation, scoring 11 points and 9 points in the span of two games en route of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
David did not complain all season when his role changed and had previously talked to the team about finding a new home where he could play more minutes. That ultimately led to his trade to the Boston Celtics today, in exchange for veteran Gerald Wallace.
Golden State didn’t give up any assets and the trade serves beneficial to both parties, with Lee going on a team with plenty of forwards in the rotation. The Warriors are saving luxury-tax dollars of nearly $20 million (Lee will be making $15.4 million next season) and can either keep Wallace or waive him, which would save them even more money to negotiate a new contract with Harrison Barnes between now and October.
[Source]