Golden State Warriors: A David Lee for Roy Hibbert Trade?

The Golden State Warriors are one of the very few teams in the NBA to have little to no business to conduct during the hectic free agency season. While other teams are scampering around to create cap room (much like the Warriors did the last two seasons), the Dubs have been quiet on that front, content to play out another season with the same championship-winning roster.

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That is, except for one player. It’s no secret that the organization and David Lee are actively working out a deal that will end his 5-year tenure with the Warriors.

His reasons for leaving are well-founded. Lee has spent most of this season sitting on the bench, and struggled for playing time. The team’s offense flows better and defends better with Draymond Green playing at the four spot. As a result, Lee was used sparingly this season, but still had his moments during the playoffs against teams with bigger lineups. Ideally, the Warriors would like to keep Lee, but his $15 million salary and his desire to play consistent minutes is what is ultimately convincing him to leave.

The problem the Warriors now face is to find a suitable trade partner willing to take Lee’s massive contract. Granted, Lee is in his final year, which wouldn’t have long-term implications for other teams, but most teams will want compensation due to the knowledge that the Warriors and Lee both want to part ways.

The likely scenario is this: the Warriors end up trading Lee away to a team with cap space, but are also forced to package their 2016 first round pick along with him (or new draftee, Kevon Looney).

The ideal scenario is this: the Warriors trade Lee and receive a productive player on a one year contract in return.

The one-year contract is important – with the cap set to jump in the 2016 offseason, the Warriors will want to have as much cap room as possible in order to be major players in the free agent market. Many players are already lining up their contracts in order to receive the major boost in salary, and with $50.9 million in guaranteed salaries on the books for 2016 (not including Draymond Green’s impending contract extension, which will be worth around $16 million), the Warriors need to keep as much money off the books or they’ll find it hard to reload their roster.

So, with all that in mind, there are a few players that fit the Warriors’ search criteria. My personal favourite is Roy Hibbert.

Yes, the lumbering Indiana Pacers’ center that recorded four zero point games during the 2014 playoffs. Yes, the very same one player who many deem to be mentally weak, flat-footed and clumsy.

But, if you look beyond all his flaws, Hibbert is one of the best defensive centers in the league. And with the way his relationship with the Pacers’ front office is deteriorating, he could be acquired for a cheap price. The Pacers have made it clear that Hibbert is no longer part of their plans, to which Hibbert responded by opting into the final year of his contract. While many have seen it as a decision made out of spite, you can’t really blame Hibbert for making the Pacers honour the contract they agreed to back in 2011.

The Pacers are also in the market for a power forward after David West opted out of the final year of his contract. Lee would be a good fit as the Pacers intend to shift towards a more fast-paced offense, which Lee has been a part of for the last three seasons. Lee can also play as the floor-spacing center if the Pacers decide to go super-small ball with Paul George at the four.

On paper, it is a good fit for the Pacers, who will also want to avoid taking on any long term salary.

As for Hibbert and the Warriors, the team really struggled against bigger lineups during the postseason. Against teams like New Orleans, Memphis, and Cleveland, the Warriors lost the rebounding battles and weren’t really able to deal with the double-big lineups that the opposing teams had. Instead, they relied on their small ball to win (to which they did), but having a big man like Hibbert coming off the bench in spurts could help them win a few rebounding battles.

The other plus for the Warriors is that Hibbert doesn’t need (or should receive, for that matter) offensive touches. His skillset is solely on the defensive end, where he is one of the best rim protectors in the league. He anchored a top-eight Indiana Pacers’ defense that had George Hill, David West, C.J. Miles, and Solomon Hill as their starters. The lack of offensive skill is a worry, of course, but it shouldn’t matter on a Warriors’ team stacked with offensive talent.

Now, of course, real life trades aren’t as simple as this. Hibbert would have to be ok with coming off the bench for the Warriors (which he might not be), Pacers might want a sweetener in the deal, or Lee might request a trade to a franchise where he will be a definite starter. There are many moving parts to the deal itself, but Roy Hibbert might just be the best outcome the Warriors could get in a David Lee trade.

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