Would you take on David Lee if we could get Harrison Barnes?

[Msimonetta2]

Wow it is funny to see this thread revived, I was pretty desperate back in February when I started this thread.  Bottom line with all the new TV money coming in using cap space in this sense, either to get a pick or a Barnes type player, is no longer realistic.  Ainge knows this though.....here is hoping we land a big fish either straight up or sign and trade.  If we do not then we are going the long route which I think is prudent.  Geez if Lebron can win without his second and third best players we shouldn't be in any rush.

[Moranis]

Yeah no way Barnes is included.  If Boston strikes out in free agency and wants to go for the playoffs next year then getting Lee is certainly a real possibility.  Maybe something like Lee and Ezeli for a sign and traded Bass with Boston absorbing the rest of the salary into the cap space.  Boston gets a decent youngish center and a former all star PF and Golden State shaves a bunch of salary and picks up a hard nosed veteran big man for their bench. 

[Evantime34]

Lee is a former all-star, great rebounder, and crafty scorer. Barnes is a young talented, defensive player still with the potential to improve.

However, I am not sure what direction Danny would be aiming for if he made this trade. They are both good players, but Lee doesn't really move the bar for us and Barnes seems a bit limited - just doesn't scream all-star to me (although I could be wrong).

As a win-now move, I honestly consider Lee the better player even though his contract is atrocious.

I am hoping for something bigger this summer.

The idea with Lee would have to be giving him a chance at a starting spot and hoping he regains his 20-10 form and then try to pawn him off to some other team at the deadline for assets.

I don't think there will be an opportunity to extort a 1st from GS in return for taking on Lee's contract.

If the case is that GSW won't give up anything to dump Lee's contract then I don't think the C's take on Lee.

What teams do you think would take a flier on Lee, give up their cap space and not get compensated with something extra? I don't think there are any.

[Endless Paradise]

Lee is a former all-star, great rebounder, and crafty scorer. Barnes is a young talented, defensive player still with the potential to improve.

However, I am not sure what direction Danny would be aiming for if he made this trade. They are both good players, but Lee doesn't really move the bar for us and Barnes seems a bit limited - just doesn't scream all-star to me (although I could be wrong).

As a win-now move, I honestly consider Lee the better player even though his contract is atrocious.

I am hoping for something bigger this summer.

The idea with Lee would have to be giving him a chance at a starting spot and hoping he regains his 20-10 form and then try to pawn him off to some other team at the deadline for assets.

I don't think there will be an opportunity to extort a 1st from GS in return for taking on Lee's contract.

If the case is that GSW won't give up anything to dump Lee's contract then I don't think the C's take on Lee.

What teams do you think would take a flier on Lee, give up their cap space and not get compensated with something extra? I don't think there are any.

Hell, the Celtics didn't even want to take on a young big with potential in Zeller without being compensated with a first rounder for also having to take on Marcus Thornton's contract. I don't see any way a team will voluntarily help the best team in the regular season avoid the luxury tax by taking on an unwanted contract for free. It's just not happening. Lee's still valuable, but not at $16+ million, even if he's expiring.

[PhoSita]

You guys may be right about David Lee not being worth it, even as a reclamation project.

The problem is that I don't know how many 1st round picks Golden State even has to give up at this point.  They shrugged off a couple of picks in order to make the salary dump that allowed them to sign Iguodala a couple years ago.

I definitely do not believe Golden State will be forced to trade Barnes in order to get rid of Lee.  Again, he's still a productive player, and cap space doesn't mean much if none of the notable names wants to sign with you.  There will be somebody left holding a bag of cap space and nobody to spend it on.

Absorbing Lee's deal might be more palatable for a team looking to stay competitive without handing out a 3-4 year deal to a second or third tier player.

[Endless Paradise]

Golden State has no first rounders outside of the one they have in this draft (which can't be traded until the day of the draft, since they'd have to make the pick). The next first rounder they have to trade is 2019.

Either they'll likely have to give up Barnes or they'll just have to eat the luxury tax for next season (which is also a very viable option and probably their best). They could potentially give up Ezeli, but that's much more risky, in my opinion: that would leave Bogut as the only defensive true big on their roster. I wouldn't want to bank on Bogut's health throughout a whole season. Barnes is a nice piece, but he's a luxury -- one that they may deem expendable.

Don't forget that cap space doesn't need to be used purely on signing premier players: tons of rebuilding teams do what Philly does and use their cap space to sign undrafted/D-League players throughout the year. The cap space could even be used later in the season to accept a salary dump from a desperate team at the trade deadline -- a team that would likely be much more willing to include more appealing assets than the 30th pick in the draft.