NBA Draft Rumors: Warriors unlikely to trade David Lee before draft

David Lee has requested a trade from the Golden State Warriors, but it doesn’t appear that request will be granted prior to the NBA Draft.

David Lee had many mixed feelings after winning the NBA championship as a member of the Golden State Warriors. While he was elated to win the title and get his first championship ring, he was also torn by his lack of playing time and ultimately his future with the team. Ultimately, the tear became a schism and Lee requested the Warriors trade him shortly after the season ended.

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While the demand was quick for a player who has just won an NBA title, the resolution isn’t likely to happen to occur as fast.

According to Tim Kawakami of The Mercury News, the Warriors will continue to pursue a trade for David Lee, but that move isn’t likely to come before or during the NBA Draft on Thursday night.

Sounds like the Warriors aren't poised to trade David Lee tonight during the draft. More likely will re-assess the market in a few weeks.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) June 25, 2015

According to Basketball-Reference, Lee played in a career-low 49 games and was on the floor for just 904 minutes during the 2014-15 season. His 18.4 minutes per game were a steep decline from the 35.8 minutes he’s averaged since joining the Warriors in 2010. The lack of floor time also led to steep drop-off in production, with Lee’s 7.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game being his lowest since his rookie season.

A lower back issue made matters worse during the postseason, when Lee missed the entire first round and appeared in just 13 games during Golden State’s playoff run. Coach Steve Kerr admitted that Lee was used perhaps too sparingly during the playoffs, with the veteran forward averaging 8.2 minutes per game and contributing minimally (3.1 points, 2.6 rebounds a night).

To this stage, Lee has been rumored to be of interest to numerous teams, including the Toronto Raptors, Houston Rockets, and Philadelphia 76ers, as Josh Hill discussed last week. However, there hasn’t been any ground made in those discussion to date. Given Lee’s expected salary of $15.4 million in 2015-16, it isn’t likely that the Warriors will be able to spin him off on draft night, when many teams are looking for ways to either improve or move up in the draft.

The Warriors would certainly like to move up, as they hold the 30th selection in the first round. However, David Lee does not appear to be the piece that will get that deal done. Instead, the team will look to move Lee after the dust settles and free agency begins, when other teams will have a chance to assess their chances of landing top talent through the open market and whether or not Lee represents a better opportunity.

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