Golden State Warriors: 3 Players That Are An Upgrade From David Lee

The Warriors were facing a lot of difficult questions this season. One that pops up very frequently, however, was the question of what to do with David Lee, a decent player with a massive contract. Many have suggested trading him, but one can only imaging it will be hard for other teams to accommodate such a large contract.

With that being said, there are certain players at the power forward and center spots that would just be great additions to the Warriors’ roster. It may be unforeseeable, and unlikely to happen, but these players would certainly benefit the Warriors in some sort of way.

John Henson: 

From defensive prowess, the offensive intellect, Henson is the whole package and would be a great addition to the Warriors’ roster. They have scorers, but what they’re lacking in, is big men who can actually defend. Jermaine O’Neal is getting older and is injury prone, having wrist surgery on Friday, and Andrew Bogut is constantly getting into foul trouble. Lee doesn’t have the necessary defensive skills to get the job done. Other power forwards have been having huge games against the Warriors.

At 2.1 blocks per game, Henson is a terrific defender. As for scoring, he’s averaging just more than 11 points per game and is bound to be a future star, regardless of his surroundings. He will benefit from the trade because Stephen Curry will find him under the basket for some easy dunks. Not only will he fit into the Warriors’ offensive flow with his ability to hit jump shots and knowing where to be, but he will also benefit them on the defensive end.

"They need him to be the versatile, offensively potent cog in the Warriors’ supposed-to-be potent offense. The guy who was so dominant the first half of last year that he made the Western Conference All Star team over Stephen Curry.–Marcus Thompson II, Mercury News"

Thompson spoke highly of Lee and showed that the Warriors need to use him as an offensive weapon. Yes, we all remember his All-Star season and how great he was. Now that Klay Thompson has stepped up his game, however, the Warriors don’t need Lee to be that scorer that he was. Andre Iguodala could be getting into the offensive mix as well and Harrison Barnes could be coming off the bench and putting in 15+ per night. What else could they need?

Defense wins championships. The commonly used phrase is commonly used for a reason. The Warriors are a terrific defensive team, with the exception of Lee. Power forwards continuously have great games against the Warriors. Against the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Jackson even opted to put 6-foot-8 Draymond Green on the 7-footer Dirk Nowitzki. Lee has many faces, but is not a great offensive player. He can’t and won’t be used as an offensive weapon for the Warriors, so what is he really contributing? Rebounds?

Amir Johnson

Why would the Raptors ever trade this guy? Agreed, this is a long shot, but Johnson fits perfectly with the Warriors. Since the Dubs run plenty of isolations to Lee, Johnson would thrive in that scenario. He’s a great inside scorer, and he’s also a terrific defender. He only averages 1 block per game, but he has a great impact. Alongside Bogut, he would be bale to clog the paint and make inside scoring very difficult.

In a career game earlier in the 2013-14 season, the Toronto Raptors battled the Los Angeles Lakers in Kobe Bryant’s return. The Raptors won, and Johnson poured in 32 points on 14/17 shooting to go with 10 rebounds. This was all while stifling Pau Gasol to 3/11 shooting for 7 points.

Kevin Love: *Other Players Involved*

We have been hearing this one a lot in recent days. Kevin Love is reportedly “intrigued” by the idea of coming to the Warriors, and this may not be a bad thing at all. To make it in the Wild West, you need to have more than one all-star. Although Lee made the all-star team in the 2012-13 season, he has not been that same player. His defense has gone south and his offensive skills are overrated, although he has had some nice games.

Love is a perennial all-star. From sharpshooting, to scoring inside, to rebounding the basketball, he is one of the best in the league, and likely the best power forward as of now. He  would add to the Warriors’ booming offense under Steve Kerr, and also help in the inside. The only roadblock in this move? The Warriors would likely need to get rid of Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.