The New York Knicks trade David Lee to the Warriors
The Knicks have done a sign and trade deal with the Warriors. They signed 27-year old power forward David Lee to a 6-year, $80 million dollar deal and then they sent him to the Golden State Warriors for 20-year old power forward Anthony Randolph, 27-year old PF/C Ronny Turiaf, 26-year old SG/SF Kelenna Azubuike and a second round pick. Lee played in 81 games (all starts) for the Knicks last season and he averaged 37.3 minutes, 20.2 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He played in 368 games (210 starts) in his five years with the Knicks and he averaged 30.1 minutes, 13.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.8 steals per game. Lee was a good player for the Knicks but this was a trade they had to make because they brought back three players that they like.
Anthony Randolph has the biggest upside of the return the Knicks got in this trade. Randolph played in 33 games (8 starts) for the Warriors last season and he averaged 22.7 minutes, 11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.5 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 96 games (30 starts) in his first two years in the NBA and he has averaged 19.6 minutes, 9.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game. The sky is the limit for Randolph who is just starting to scratch the surface of his potential. SG/SF Kelenna Azubuike is the kind of open court player that Coach D’Antoni loves. Azubuike played in 9 games (7 starts) for the Warriors last season and he averaged 25.7 minutes, 13.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game. He has now played in 205 games (84 starts) in his four years in the NBA and he has averaged 24.4 minutes, 10.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Azubuike has hit 40.9% of his shots from three point range in his career and the Knicks will take advantage of that. Ronny Turiaf will be a solid backup center and power forward for the Knicks this season. Turiaf played in 42 games (20 starts) for the Warriors last season and he averaged 20.8 minutes, 4.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 294 games (69 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 17.9 minutes, 5.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game.
I think David Lee is the best player in this trade but I think in the end it will help both teams as the Knicks needed more players.
I am sorry to see David Lee go. He is a burgeoning star. In fact I don’t see Amare as a real big upgrade.
I think scoring is about equal maybe a slight edge to Amare, rebounding goes to Lee, and defense is a plus for Amare. That being said, if it clears cap space to get Melo in here then it was a good move.
I really think that the Knicks are a better team with the guys they have now. Azubuike, Turiaf and Randolph are all players who will help the Knicks in 2010-11. I really liked Lee as a player too but for some reason I don’t think the Knicks’ brass thinks much of him. You remember how they left him hanging in the wind last summer before inking him to a 1-year deal. That should have been the handwriting on the wall. I think Stoudemire is a better all around player than Lee is.