Lee likely done in Golden State

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Golden State Warriors center David Lee has most likely played his last game in a Warriors uniform. The team has reportedly stated that they will find him a new home. He played a smaller role than usual during the season, as he lost a lot of playing time to Draymond Green, who took over the starting job earlier in the season. Lee did prove to be a good role player during the season, and his contributions certainly helped the Warriors win the Finals. He was an All-Star back in 2010 and 2013.

Lee began his tenure with the Warriors back in 2010, when he signed a 6-year, $80 million dollar contract in a sign and trade deal with the New York Knicks. The Warriors sent Ronny Turiaf, Anthony Randolph and Kelenna Azubuike in return for Lee.

During the Finals, Lee averaged 5.5 points and 2.5 rebounds, on 9.5 minutes per game. Lee was used to being a 30-40 minute player, and during the regular season, he only averaged 18.4 minutes. The Warriors do realize that they cannot keep a player of Lee’s caliber on the bench, and they told Lee and his agent exclusively that they will look to move him, to bring him back to his usual playing time.

Lee has already talked about his role during last season as he said,

“It’s been a really interesting year,” Lee said. “I’ve actually gotten to see kind of the other side of the NBA. I’ve always been the guy that’s out there for 35 to 40 minutes. I’ve never really, I don’t think, had the true respect for guys … to see guys that don’t get a chance to play very often and come out and produce on a consistent basis — I never knew how difficult that was.”

Lee clearly isn’t a fan of his role with the Warriors, and they understand his reasoning. He used to be a starter, and now is just a role player. He still performs at a level higher than most starting players. His fit with the Warriors isn’t as smooth as it was back in the 2012-2013 season, when he averaged a double-double each game.

Lee’s tenure with the Warriors is likely up, and it seems as though the decision is mutual. The Warriors have proved they don’t need to rely on Lee to win a championship, and Lee has shown the NBA he can still be a franchise player.