Should The Golden State Warriors Stand Pat At The Trade Deadline?
Potential Lee Deals
As of right now, Bogut is currently healthy, but nobody would be surprised to wake up tomorrow morning and find out the big Aussie got hurt in practice and was out for the rest of the season. Festus Ezeli is a promising young player, but he has his own injury issues and is nowhere near ready to pull off even a 50 percent imitation of Bogut.
Speights has moved into the starting lineup alongside Green when Bogut misses time, but that frontcourt duo has been prone to giving up offensive rebounds. At the very least, we can confidently say that they’re not tall enough to win a championship. If Bogut goes down, the Dubs need some type of insurance.
Based on that description and/or the need for a stretch-four, here are the most suitable candidates that not only fit the description, but also work salary-wise in a Lee swap: Channing Frye, Kevin Garnett and David West.
Ryan Anderson fits the description, but the New Orleans Pelicans probably wouldn’t want to trade a perimeter-shooting big for an interior scoring backup to Anthony Davis, and to make the salaries work, the Pellies would have to include another player worth roughly $2 million — a hard bargain for the 31-year-old Lee on an overpriced contract.
Kosta Koufos similarly fits the bill as a player who could really help Golden State, but he’s been a huge defensive presence off the bench this season and the Memphis Grizzlies probably wouldn’t want to help their foes at the top of the West. More importantly, a deal would never work salary-wise, since Koufos’ contract is only worth $3 million.
That leaves us with Frye, Garnett and West, all of whom could be traded straight up for Lee.
Frye’s had a disappointing season with the Orlando Magic after being signed to a four-year, $32 million deal, but that’s only because as a pick-and-pop player, Frye needs his point guard to be a threat shooting the ball when he comes off screens. Elfrid Payton is no such player, which has allowed defenses to overplay Frye’s pop.
That wouldn’t be an issue playing alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Last season with the Phoenix Suns, we saw how deadly Frye can be as a floor spacer with the right pieces around him and the Dubs represent the pinnacle of that scenario. The Magic have plenty of room for Lee and if they were willing to move on from Frye, this wouldn’t be a bad way to do it.
KG’s numbers aren’t what they once were, but he’s a fiery veteran who would be able to step up in the event of an Andrew Bogut/Festus Ezeli injury. Garnett would be an extremely useful presence in a playoff series, especially if he had something to play for again — say, another shot at a title.
The same could be said of West, another tough veteran who can rebound, knock down midrange jumpers and do all the little things off the bench that a championship team needs. Should the Dubs decide to get Lee’s contract off the books, Frye, Garnett and West represent three of their best options.
Next: The Verdict