NBA Rumors: Could Phoenix Suns trade for David Lee?
The Golden State Warriors are obviously hoping to make a big move this offseason.
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They would like to get in the mix for Minnesota Timberwolves’ power Kevin Love and New York Knicks’ forward Carmelo Anthony, but with so many highly-paid players and it nearly being time to give guard Klay Thompson an extension, they are pretty much capped out.
That has led many to believe the Warriors may have to part with power forward David Lee before they can make a splash because a rebuilding team probably wouldn’t want to take Lee back in a trade. There have been rumors that the Orlando Magic could be interested in acquiring Lee. The Magic could send back Arron Afflalo, who could be used to replace Klay Thompson. The Warriors could then potentially place Thompson in a trade for a player like Love, but that scenario seems a little far-fetched.
The Phoenix Suns are another team looking to make a big splash and if they can’t get Anthony or Love, there has been speculation they could trade for Lee.
However, according to Yannis Koutroupis of Basketball Insiders, that doesn’t seem likely either.
"Lee is set to make $15 million next season, so it’s going to take a lot more than that to make salaries match. That’s where it becomes difficult for the Warriors to find a deal that doesn’t involve taking back something they don’t want. Lee isn’t exactly in demand, they don’t have a ton of leverage. I would love to see Adreian Payne on the Warriors, though – that part of the idea I love."
Lee averaged 18.2 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this season.