There’s a green movement happening for the Golden State Warriors at power forward.
And no, we’re not talking about environmental initiatives and low-flow showerheads.
It involves David Lee, Draymond Green and a potential logjam at the No. 4 position on the court.
The Warriors exploded out of the gate with five wins in their first seven games. They did so despite Lee—their starting power forward—playing for all of seven total minutes on the season.
Lee sat out the opening three contests with a strained hamstring. He has since missed the last three games after reinjuring himself in just 6:45 of court time against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Golden State, though, has overcome the loss of its veteran double-double machine due to the emergence of the No. 35 overall draft pick in 2012.
Green has posted career-highs across the board. He’s averaging 13.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists with a lethal 42.9 shooting percentage from downtown.
The third-year player fits seamlessly in head coach Steve Kerr’s system as a stretch-four who can defend both inside and out.
This versatile skill set stems from his complementary smarts, strength and agility.
Lee, for his part, doesn’t offer much in the way of lockdown defense.
His career marks of 0.8 steals, 0.4 blocks and 2.3 defensive win shares leave much to be desired.
That said, Lee’s also the more proven scorer and rebounder with his own array of savvy moves and strong post presence on the low block. He’s compiled 18.3 PTS, 10.0 REB and 4.4 offensive win shares since joining Golden State in 2010.
Now, Green will command a substantial raise upon finishing out his meager three-year, $2.6 million deal he signed as a rookie. Expect an $8-10 million annual salary demand from Green’s agent.
Lee, meanwhile, brings with him a $15.01 million salary this year and a $15.4 million cap hit in 2015-2016.
That double-digit figure, however, represents the final monetary commitment to him by the Warriors’ front office—it’s the last year on an expiring contract.
We all know how valuable those deals are in trade packages in the NBA.
The fiscal toll of Green’s deal would indeed become more palatable if the Warriors traded Lee before the start of next season.
So the question, of course, is should they do it?
The Dubs are currently 10 players deep and are a superior offensive club with both Lee and Green in the fold. Yet despite losing depth, they would improve defensively and still retain enough scoring power without Lee on the roster.
Green could very well be to the Warriors what Kawhi Leonard is to the champion San Antonio Spurs.
That is, an asset that eliminates the opposition’s big man while contributing as a three-point sharpshooter and dynamic scorer on the other end of the floor.
Ok, so are future financial stability and potential on-court improvement worth the cost of trading the aging, but proven Lee during a guaranteed playoff run this season?
With apologies to the respected veteran in tow, it is.
Golden State will already be up against the luxury tax threshold in 2015 before even taking into account Green’s new contract. Team management must also realize that Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli are free agents in 2016, with Stephen Curry and Andrew Bogut needing new deals in 2017.
The struggling Andre Iguodala and his untradeable $11-plus million owed in each of the next two seasons further complicate things for general manager Bob Myers.
A playoff worthy—but not necessarily title-contending club—cannot afford to become a repeat offender of the luxury tax, especially one with hopes of moving into a new arena.
Plus, Kerr is in the first year of a deal that keeps him in Golden State through 2019.
Owner Joe Lacob gave him that long of a leash knowing the Warriors couldn’t become a true title contender during his very first campaign as an NBA head coach.
The championship window, as such, will open for the next few seasons if Kerr can use this year to maximize the potential of guard-tandem Curry and Thompson and the frontcourt trio of Barnes, Green and Bogut.
Dub Nation will miss Lee’s infectious presence and consistent double-double production.
Yet with a fully developed group of the aforementioned five producing at maximum output, Warriors fans will have little problem moving on with a clean conscience.
The prospects of securing the franchise’s first Larry O’Brien Trophy since 1974-75 tend to have that kind of effect.
Follow Joey on Twitter @jlevitt16 as he tries to wax eloquent on all things Warriors, NBA, NFL, MLB and the sports world at large