The Golden State Warriors haven’t traded David Lee, but apparently, he thought they might have.
Once the offseason began, Lee was linked to a number of different trade rumors. Fueled by Golden State’s sudden realization it could contend now and the team’s success during the playoffs without him, it seemed like a genuine possibility. Nothing ever panned out, and Lee has since been assured that he isn’t going anywhere.
But that doesn’t mean he was never worried.
Talking from the Warriors’ downtown training facility Lee admitted that he was nervous when the Warriors first reached out to him about the trade rumors running rampant across the NBA sphere, according to the Bay Area News Group’s Marcus Thompson:
Of course, that made the prospects of being traded a little bit harder to swallow. Lee was mentioned in multiple rumors over the summer. The hottest speculation had the Warriors shopping him to Portland for LaMarcus Aldridge and to Minnesota for Kevin Love.
Lee said he wasn’t aware of the Aldridge rumors until he co-owner Joe Lacob and general manager Bob Myers reached out to him. They wanted to assure him he wasn’t being traded. But Lee joked about being nervous before he actually received their message.
“I was in Europe at Wimbledon the day all that stuff came out,” Lee said. “I woke up and got messages from them. I said, ‘I don’t want to go to HoopsHype(.com) right now. … They must be messaging me for some reason.'”
Full disclosure: I love David Lee. Every time I right about him, I find myself penning the same disclaimer. I can’t bring myself to say anything too critical of the guy. Perhaps it’s because I watched him in New York for five years and appreciated the fire he lit during an exceedingly dark time. Or maybe I’m just a subconscious fan of double-doubles being the end-all to define a player’s character. Who knows?
What I do know is that even the most affable of players can be traded, Lee included. The New York Knicks did it in favor of Amar’e Stoudemire, though that’s not really saying much. They tend to assume anything that is more expensive what they have, is also shinier than what they have.
But if you’re the Warriors, and the Portland Trail Blazers come to the table to talk about a LaMarcus Aldridge trade or the Minnesota Timberwolves phone you about a Kevin Love deal, and Lee is a sticking point, do you hang up? Of course not. You can’t. It would be irresponsible.
Love can be a fragile hot mess, but he fits the floor-spacing dynamic I can’t help but believe the Warriors will run with next season better than Lee. And Aldridge is a more refined version of the diligent power forward. Their offensive range and ceiling are about the same, but Aldridge is just considered better, maybe because we’re conditioned to believe he’s more of a superstar than Lee.
If I’m the Warriors, I have to listen if either of those two teams come calling. Or even if another team comes calling. Lee can’t be viewed as untouchable, and I don’t think he is. I most definitely have my doubts about Golden State having aggressively shopped him already, mostly because of the names he was linked to. Portland may part with Aldridge, but there’s no way the Blazers send him to Golden State when the Chicago Bulls would probably pay a ransom and a half to pair him with Derrick Rose. And the Timberwolves would be insane to deal Love at this point, unless he demands it. He’s their best player.
Lee can rest peacefully, then, knowing he isn’t going anywhere. Not right now at least. It would be pretty ballsy of the Warriors to 1) renege on their promise to Lee so soon and 2) shake up their roster any further before the start of the season.
Armed with a sizable trade exception and a two-time All-Star who some posit is expendable, though, Golden State’s stance could change. Come the trade deadline or leading up to it, we will hear Lee’s name again. That’s really all we know about his long-term future with the Warriors.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
