Warriors trade Lee to Celtics for Wallace, Babb


Lee, 32, played five seasons with the Warriors, averaging 16.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists over 327 regular-season games.  Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Lee, 32, played five seasons with the Warriors, averaging 16.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists over 327 regular-season games. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Golden State Warriors traded forward David Lee to the Boston Celtics on Monday in exchange for forward Gerald Wallace and guard Chris Babb.

Lee, 32, played five seasons with the Warriors, averaging 16.7 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists over 327 regular-season games. He had his finest season with Golden State in 2012-13, averaging 18.5 points and 11.2 rebounds in 79 games.

“On behalf of the entire Golden State Warriors organization, we thank David Lee for his contributions both on and off the court over the last five years,” Warriors general manager Bob Myers said in a statement. “Throughout his time with the Warriors, David was a great player, competitor and presence in our locker room as well as in the community and was a stabilizing force during a period that saw many positive changes within the organization. Most importantly, he leaves Golden State as an NBA champion. We wish him nothing but the best in the next chapter of his career.”

The 6-foot-9 Lee appeared in 26 playoff games with Golden State, making postseason appearances in each of the last three seasons, culminating in an NBA championship this past season. Lee leaves the Warriors ranked sixth on the franchise’s all-time list in defensive rebounds (2,176) and tied for 10th in field-goal percentage (.513).

During his 10-year NBA career, Lee has averaged 14.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 695 regular-season games with the New York Knicks and Warriors. Originally selected by the Knicks with the 30th overall pick in the 2005 draft, Lee was acquired by the Warriors in a sign-and-trade deal on July 9, 2010.

Wallace, 33, owns career averages of 11.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.44 steals and 29.7 minutes in 832 regular-season games (611 starts) over 14 NBA seasons with Sacramento, Charlotte, Portland, New Jersey/Brooklyn and Boston.

Originally selected by Sacramento with the 25th overall pick in the 2001 draft, Wallace has appeared in 33 playoff games (17 starts), holding career postseason averages of 7.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 20.9 minutes.

Babb, 25, appeared in 14 games with Boston as a rookie in 2014-15, tallying 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per game. The 6-5 guard appeared in 45 games last season with the Celtics’ Development League affiliate, the Maine Red Claws, averaging 15.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 34.7 minutes.