The David Lee trade rumors just won’t go away. Every week, someone announces (without citing any sources, of course, because they don’t have any) that Lee is on the trading block, and his departure is imminent. There’s absolutely no validity to these rumors, for good reason: considering the Warriors' current roster, trading Lee makes zero sense. Golden State's front office has made it absolutely clear that they have no interest in dealing Lee – after the Andre Iguodala deal, Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob told Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury-News, and I quote: “We were always going to keep David Lee. I know you don’t love him, but he’s an All-Star in this league”
There was a huge commotion back in March when news broke that Lee was being shopped around, but everyone seemed to ignore the fact that teams regularly test their stars’ worth on the open market – it’s by far the best way to assess their value. We can say with absolute certainty that Lee won’t be going anywhere – no one with any inside knowledge of the Warriors organization has given an indication that Lee is on the move, and there’s no trade out there that would provide anything close to value for money.
The most common argument for trading Lee – that the Warriors don’t need him because they did well in the playoffs without him – is based on flawed, convoluted logic. Losing Lee in the first game of the Denver series forced Golden State to play small, but they would have been forced into that strategy anyway because of Denver’s size advantage. Time and time again, Denver clogged the paint but failed to defend the perimeter, and the Warriors happen to be exceptional from outside the arc. Even if Lee had been healthy, the dynamics of the matchup would have shoehorned him into a supporting role – at best.
Against San Antonio, Lee played in four games and was unable to assert himself on the glass (not much of a surprise, considering he was playing hurt, two weeks after what was by rights a season-ending injury). It’s pointless to wonder if a healthy Lee would have changed the outcome of that series – but there’s no way it would have hurt. Some of the criticism of Lee’s defense is warranted – he concedes ground far too easily, and his lapses in concentration can be costly – but his tenacity on the boards compensates for at least some of his defensive shortcomings. Kawhi Leonard averaged over 9 rebounds per game in the series, and not having to contend with David Lee was a major reason why.
To suggest that the Warriors would excel without David Lee against every team in the NBA is absurd – when Lee went down, Golden State was incredibly fortunate to be in a series where his role would have been superfluous anyway. Lee’s detractors seem unable to grasp the idea that not every matchup is the same, and there are plenty of teams against whom Lee excels - against the Mavericks, for instance, Lee has averaged 19.4 ppg and 12.4 rpg over the last two seasons. His consistency (on a fairly uneven team) is incredible – after the third game of the regular season, Lee scored in double figures for 76 straight games and put up 56 double-doubles.
Any trade involving Lee would have to include a power forward with a comparable salary who can provide similar production. The Warriors wouldn’t dream of starting Marreese Speights and won’t return to a small-ball lineup (which would require Iguodala or Barnes to start at the 4), so any trade would require an elite power forward in return – and there aren’t any available. Carlos Boozer and Lamarcus Aldridge are on back-loaded deals that the Warriors can't afford. J.J. Hickson and Reggie Evans are solid defenders and above-average rebounders, but can’t even come close to replicating Lee’s offensive production. There's just no way the Warriors could deal Lee without taking a major step back.
The Warriors have no good reasons to consider making another major trade – they’re skirting dangerously close to the salary cap limit already, and there’s no way to trade Lee that improves the team and keeps them under the cap. Don’t listen to the baseless rumors – David Lee is staying put.
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