WARRIORS LOSE LEE TO BOSTON BUT SAVE BIG BUCKS
The Boston Celtics acquired power forward/center David Lee from the Golden State Warriors for swingman Gerald Wallace and shooting guard Chris Babb.
What does it give the Boston Celtics
Lee is a great addition for the Celtics on many levels. He can immediately step in as a veteran leadership presence in Boston's young clubhouse, and he can provide great mentorship for talented emerging big men such as Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, and Tyler Zeller. Lee will also help the Celtics win, since he's still arguably not quite over the hill 32. Boston takes on significant salary here, but Lee should make it worth it.
What does it give the Golden State Warriors
On the heels of their championship win the Warriors have needed to make some tough financial decisions to keep their core together. This is one such decision, since Lee became a limited-minutes backup this past season behind rising star Draymond Green. Including luxury tax factors, this move could potentially save Golden State between $20 million and $50 million dollars. The aging Wallace provides a solid veteran presence, and if he brings anything off the bench it'll be a bonus. For the Warriors this deal is about the dollars. Meanwhile Babb is a reserve shooting guard who doesn't appear likely to be a major factor for Golden State anytime soon.
Fantasy impact
This trade should, at the very least, return Lee to fantasy relevance. He's still young enough to play at a high level, and seeing limited minutes last season may have been a good thing (since the rest may have helped his body heal up from a litany of injuries). Lee looks likely to start for the Celtics, which should lessen the fantasy values of Jared Sullinger, Kelly Olynyk, and Tyler Zeller (all three of whom already took a fantasy hit when Amir Johnson signed this summer). Don't expect Lee to put up his great stat lines of old, but do expect him to be very solid. Meanwhile for Golden State, Wallace gets a fresh start but he's aging and doesn't project as more than a role player for his new team (at most). Babb is a young role-playing / depth shooting guard, so don't expect much fantasy-wise from him.
