Warriors Add David Lee In Sign-and-Trade

The Warriors made their first, and probably their only, splash on the free agent market this summer, as they've agreed to trade Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf and Kelenna Azubuike to the New York Knicks in exchange for David Lee. The Knicks first had to sign Lee, then do the deal since the Warriors didn't have the cap space to add him without them being able to ditch Turiaf's contract.

Now, the Warriors have a legit power forward for the first time ever to team up with Andres Biedrins in the front-court. I really liked the player that Kelenna Azubuike had become and I think there was still some growing room for him, and Anthony Randolph still has tremendous upside, but I actually do really like this move for Golden State. They've needed size and a skilled big man for years. They even tried to bring Chris Webber out of retirement a few years ago in attempt to fill the void, but they just keep swinging and missing when it comes to the power forward position. So, instead of waiting for the injury prone youngsters to pan out, Larry Reilly got pro-active and went out and added a 27 year-old all-star power forward/center. The only small negative I can think about regarding this deal is the fact that the Warriors lose a lot of depth with the 3 players they gave away, but the return is well worth it. Lee averaged 20.3 points, 12 boards and 3.5 assists per game in the 'o9/'10 season, all career highs. He was the one player on the Knicks who they could consistently count on, night in and night out over the last few years and I think Warrior fans are going to really like what they're getting in Lee.

After they drafted Epke Udoh last month, the Warriors felt like they had a legit replacement for Randolph, but now I'm curious to see what goes on at small forward with 'Buke gone and Anthony Morrow on his way to Jersey. Reggie Williams, who played very well for Golden State after they added him from the D-league in mid-season, is penciled in there right now and could win that spot, but there is still a lot of time between now and training camp, so it wouldn't surprise me to see Reilly go out and add another player. If they don't and Williams gets the nod, it won't be such a bad thing though. Reggie Williams is just 23 years-old, and averaged about 15 points and 5 boards last year, but he's sized more for the shooting guard position rather than the small forward position. With the roster as is now though, I don't really see a better option. They did add Dorrell Wright over the weekend, who could enter the starting mix, but I'd honestly rather have the undersized Williams out there. So, as they stand now, the W's lineup is looking a little something like this:

Starters:
PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Monta Ellis
SF: Reggie Williams
PF: David Lee
C: Andris Beidrins

Reserves:
G: CJ Watson
F: Brandon Wright
C: Dan Gadzuric
F/C: Anthony Tolliver
G: Charlie Bell
F: Dorrell Wright