Golden State Warriors: Grading The Offseason

So Long, Lee

Keeping Green around made David Lee 100 percent expendable. In fact, it wasn’t long after the Dubs hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy that reports emerged about how the organization was going to do Lee a solid by trading him to a team where he’d actually get playing time again.

It was a mutually beneficial concept; the former All-Star would no longer be limited to garbage time minutes and the Dubs would avoid paying his $15 million salary and the massive luxury tax bill that’d come with it. Lee got his championship, now he wanted to play again. After opening Kerr’s eyes to the key to the Finals in Game 3, Lee and the Warriors knew this good thing needed to come to an end.

The Warriors were able to work out a deal with the Boston Celtics, shipping away Lee for Gerald Wallace and Chris Babb. Trading Lee for Wallace and waiving Wallace would shave about $25 million off the luxury tax bill, while stretching Wallace’s salary over the next three seasons will get the bill down to about $10 million.

This move damages Golden State’s depth a little bit. After all, Lee was playing rotation minutes in the NBA Finals, and if it wasn’t for his ability to capitalize on pick-and-roll sets late in that Game 3, the Warriors could’ve been in serious trouble against those Cleveland Cavaliers.

But luckily for the Dubs, rookie Kevon Looney could be a long-term replacement, and Kerr won’t need Lee around to provide a mid-series revelation again. Letting Lee go hurts the edge of the rotation, but the Warriors will be perfectly fine without him and springing him loose was best for both parties. The fact that they didn’t have to surrender a future pick in the deal doesn’t hurt either.

Grade: B+

Next: Overall