Corey Bourassa dives into the debate of what the trade for David Lee means for the Boston Celtics.
Forward David Lee was recently traded from the Golden State Warriors, to the Boston Celtics for Forward Gerald Wallace. Now that the guards on the roster are stacked, now the forwards are stacked with Amir Johnson, Jared Sullinger, and now David Lee, is a big trade coming? Is David Lee staying a full season with the Celtics? How much will David Lee bring to the table? All these questions will be answered now.
David Lee had the worst season of his career this past year, averaging 7.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 1.7 APG. The good thing is, in Lee’s last five seasons he’s been to two All-Star games, and has played a key role with the Warriors, either as a starter or off the bench. His primary stats for those previous years under coach Mark Jackson were, 18.2 PPG and 9.3 RPG. The Celtics will likely play Lee in a role similar to that of former Celtic, Brandon Bass. David Lee is an upgrade over Brandon Bass, who recently signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. Lee is better offensively, but offers about the same defensively. David Lee is not a great defensive player, but he is a great rebounder, which the Celtics had a need for. David Lee has been one of the most efficient players in the NBA over his career, but age has caught up to Lee, now at 32, Lee has taken a few steps back to adjust his game, but is still a dynamic player, who knows his role in the game.
This is a good trade for the Celtics, as they are getting rid of Gerald Wallace’s horrendous contract. Wallace rarely saw the court for the Celtics, so losing him for a contributor like Lee is a steal. Since the Celtics did not have the best draft, as they used their picks on guards, didn’t sign any big names in free agency, not even a meeting, this trade was a step for the Celtics in the rebuilding process, and making a deep run in the playoffs one day.
Now onto some trades that can still happen for the Boston Celtics. Over the weekend, Avery Bradley jersey’s went down 50% on the Celtics online store. Now we don’t know whether he could be traded soon, who’s been unhappy, or if it was a 4th of July deal for the fans. Marcus Smart is probably still available for trade, if the Celtics want to make a big trade. He has been most notable linked with the Philadelphia 76ers, for their power forward/center Nerlens Noel. The Celtics still own the Brooklyn Net’s picks, as well as having a plethora of young guards on their roster. The Celtics could be still after DeMarcus Cousins, as they have the players and draft picks to make that type of trade. Even though the trade with David Lee was good, you have to think Danny Ainge is not done yet, and will be interesting to see what he can pull off as the offseason progresses.
By: Corey Bourassa
Edited By: Mac Crowe, @Mac_Truck17
NBA Source Today 