The Golden State Warriors made one of the big moves of the offseason by signing Andre Iguodala from the Denver Nuggets and now that he is in the fold, trade rumors about David Lee can get quieted down, as the forward told reporters that the team is not trading him.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Lee told reporters and Marc Berman of the Post that the team is not actively looking to trade him, saying that rumors of him moving were not true. Lee has been mentioned in trade talks over the past year due to his contract, but the team likes what he brings and he has been one of the more consistent forwards in the league since coming from the Knicks. The Warriors are at $66 million this season and with Andrew Bogut's deal coming off next year, they feel it is not necessary to move Lee just yet.
Lee is a double-double machine and while he was injured towards the end of last season, he showed that he cane comeback and the team is expecting him to be healthy. Head coach Mark Jackson likes the core that the team has put together with Andre Iguodala, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes and he feels that Lee is a part of that as well.
Lee came back from a torn hip during the playoffs to play for the Warriors and while reports said that he was on the trading block with $44 million left on his contract, the team is not planning to move the 30-year-old star, as the Warriors feel that they can make the playoffs at a higher seed this year after adding Iguodala. Last season the team surprised everyone with an upset win over the Nuggets and now they want more after making a hard run at Dwight Howard in the offseason.
"From what I'm told from our people, those are not true," Lee told Berman. "Of course in the offseason, everyone's always available. But we'll see what happens. Being in New York, I understand nothing is forever. Anybody is always capable of being moved anywhere. But I'm excited about the next couple of years with this team.''
