After a successful campaign which saw them cop their first NBA title after 40 years, the Golden State Warriors start to prepare for their title-defense for the coming NBA season.
In a not-so-surprising move, the Warriors have reportedly come to terms with the Boston Celtics which would send forward David Lee to the Boston Celtics in exchange for NBA vet Gerald Wallace.
A Lee trade has long been in the air, even before the Warriors won the 2014-15 NBA title.
Apparently the whole issue is all about the financial standpoint of the Warriors. With Lee owed $15.4 million, the Warriors would have been teetering on possibly having to face luxury tax penalties.
Wallace does carry a hefty contract as well ($10.4 million) but the difference in pay checks allows the Warriors to whittle down the team payroll, something expected to drop under $100 million.
Lee was eased out of the Warriors’ starting lineup, no thanks to a hamstring injury that kept him in sick bay. Draymond Green took over his spot and it eventually reaped wonders for the recently crowned NBA champs. From there, Lee was relegated to a backup role and fighting for playing minutes.
The Celtics could put Lee to good use though the two-time NBA All Star will have to jockey against current players like Kelly Olynk, Tyler Zeller and Jared Sullinger to cop a starting position in the Boston starting lineup.
Lee has been known to be a good post up player and someone who can deliver a double-double when given the chance to strut his wares. He holds a career average of 14.7 points and 9.5 rebounds.
As a Warrior, Lee holds averages of 16.7 point and 9.3 rebounds. With those numbers, Lee can provide the Celtics some help in both departments heading into the 2015-16 NBA season.
With regard Gerald Wallace, it remains to be seen what the Warriors intend to do with the 33-year-old veteran.
Wallace was hardly a shade of himself (recalling his Charlotte Bobcat days) and served more as a mentor rather than a player for the Celtics. And one guy who will surely miss him is sophomore Marcus Smart, someone whose locker next to Wallace.
“Gerald’s a great, great guy. He tried to teach you from his experience. He tried to make sure you were always in the right place. At the same time he was easy going, didn’t try to make it seem like it was just work. He wanted you to know you could have fun at the same time” says Smart via the Boston Herald.
The Warriors could eventually opt to waive Wallace using the stretch provision which would spread his $10 million pay check into three seasons ($3.4 million per season).
So in the end, it seems that the move was all about pulling the team salary down to avoid the luxury tax penalty. Should the Warriors waive Wallace, it provides them added flexibility as far as adding other players in the group.