Warriors save money by moving David Lee, lose a key role player
The Deal
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Celtics get: Forward David Lee
Boston Celtics: B-
Not all bad contracts are created equal, an important distinction that occasionally gets glossed over in the rush to categorize players and their salaries. The Celtics are taking advantage of that nuance here, trading a player with almost no basketball value for one who is overpaid but can still contribute.
Wallace is the former. He played just 286 minutes last season with a 6.2 player efficiency rating, and it's possible his NBA career is over. Unfortunately, the fall was quick and hard for Wallace after the Brooklyn Nets gave up the pick that became Damian Lillard to acquire him in March 2012 and subsequently re-signed him to a four-year, $40 million contract that has become an albatross.
Lee is the latter. Because of his defensive shortcomings, Lee was never as good as his traditional statistics indicated, and even a slight age-related decline made those more difficult to accept. But he remains a capable scorer and playmaker for a big man, as well as a presence on the offensive glass. Were he on the market right now, Lee would probably merit at least a mid-level contract for next season, and maybe more.
Boston can easily swallow the difference in the two players' salaries, allowing the Celtics to take advantage of Lee's superior production. It will be interesting to see how he fits in Brad Stevens' offense. Boston has had plenty of skilled big men, but probably not one as good overall as Lee.
The downside is that with the addition via free agency of Amir Johnson and Lee to go along with incumbents Kelly Olynyk, Jared Sullinger and Tyler Zeller, the Celtics' frontcourt is getting rather crowded without considering small-ball options such as Jonas Jerebko and Jae Crowder. That's classic Danny Ainge -- acquire the pieces for value first, then figure out how they fit later -- but it won't make Stevens' challenge any easier as he sorts out how to balance winning games next season with developing the young players who are truly part of Boston's future.
Golden State Warriors: A
Had they kept Lee and filled out their roster by re-signing restricted free agent Ognjen Kuzmic and keeping James Michael McAdoo, whose contract is non-guaranteed, the Warriors were staring at a luxury-tax bill of more than $40 million for next season's roster. (The exact figure depends on where the tax line is set later this week.)
Because the luxury tax is progressive -- teams pay increasingly higher penalties as they spend more over the tax line -- even small decreases in payroll can have a huge impact. So just trading Lee for Wallace would shave that to a little more than $25 million, about triple the difference in their salaries this season. And waiving Wallace and stretching his contract over the next three seasons would get Golden State down to a little more than $10 million in tax, assuming the Warriors filled his roster spot with a player making the veteran's minimum. (Unlike Wallace, Lee was not eligible for the stretch provision because his contract was signed before the NBA's most recent collective bargaining agreement.)
Add in the actual salary difference and we're talking about $35 million in potential savings for Golden State. Getting that without giving up any draft picks is a win for the Warriors, who almost certainly would have had to include picks to move Lee into another team's cap space.
Golden State is taking a certain on-court risk here. Remember, we're only a few weeks removed from Lee playing rotation minutes at times in the NBA Finals. Despite the limitations that turned Lee into a bit player last season, there's nobody on the roster who matches his proficiency as a roll man. But asking Lee to swallow a small role for a second season in a row, especially as he heads into free agency, was probably too much to ask.
If keeping Lee wasn't a realistic option, this was probably the best possible outcome for the Warriors after teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks, who might have been willing to take on his salary, exhausted their cap room.
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