Five Potential Lance Stephenson Trades
Nov 15, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Kemba Walker (15) drives past Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The Charlotte Hornets trade Lance Stephenson to the Golden State Warriors for David Lee.
As the Golden State Warriors rampaged through the league on the way to an NBA best 67-15 record, a player emerged from the Warrior bench to become absolutely invaluable. Draymond Green went from second round pick to potentially signing a max-contract this summer.
While Green turned himself into a rare second-round success story, his predecessor in the starting power forward spot, David Lee, was dealing with a myriad of minor injuries and facing the occasional DNP-CD. Lee has been a good player in this league, and is a two-time All-Star, his last appearance coming in 2013.
| Season | FGA | FG% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06 | 7.3 | .596 | 3.9 | .577 | 9.7 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 11.0 |
| 2006-07 | 8.3 | .600 | 3.6 | .815 | 12.5 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 12.9 |
| 2007-08 | 9.4 | .552 | 3.6 | .819 | 11.1 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 13.4 |
| 2008-09 | 12.1 | .549 | 4.2 | .755 | 12.1 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 16.5 |
| 2009-10 ★ | 15.0 | .545 | 3.9 | .812 | 11.3 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 19.6 |
| 2010-11 | 13.4 | .507 | 3.6 | .787 | 9.8 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 16.4 |
| 2011-12 | 15.6 | .503 | 4.8 | .782 | 9.3 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 19.5 |
| 2012-13 ★ | 14.4 | .519 | 4.0 | .797 | 11.0 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 18.1 |
| 2013-14 | 15.4 | .523 | 4.7 | .780 | 10.1 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 19.8 |
| 2014-15 | 12.5 | .511 | 4.1 | .654 | 10.2 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 15.5 |
| Career | 12.8 | .533 | 4.0 | .775 | 10.8 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 16.8 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/23/2015.
Lee’s career numbers show a very productive player, and while he has declined a little bit this season, he is still very effective on the offensive end of the floor. He hist 51.1% of his field goal attempts and brought down over 10 rebounds per 36 minutes. That is clearly a guy who can help a team like the Hornets.
Lee is owed over $15M next season, and it is doubtful the Warriors are looking forward to paying him that much to ride the pine, especially if they have to shell out big money to Green. Lee is also wondering about his future with the team, given that he has barely played down the stretch.
With that in mind, a trade seems very realistic. Swapping Lee for Stephenson might be worth looking into as it would save the Warriors nearly $6.5M on their 2015-16 salary cap, while also freeing up a spot for them to find a back-up big man who better fits Warriors’ head coach Steve Kerr’s vision.
With Stephenson, they would gain a low-risk, high-reward player who can come off the bench or fill in as a starter for Andre Iguodala, who is starting to show some age-related decline. This trade makes sense as long as another team does not make a better offer for Lee.