Wednesday 8 July 2015 08:32, UK
The Golden State Warriors agreed a trade on Tuesday with the Boston Celtics that would send David Lee to the Celtics in exchange for veteran Gerald Wallace.
Lee, a former All-Star, was a starter for the Warriors during his first four years with the team but saw limited action for the NBA champions in 2014-15. He played in 49 regular-season games and averaged 7.9 points and 5.2 rebounds.
The 32-year-old lost his starting spot early in the season to Draymond Green, who recently secured a new five-year contract in excess of $80 million.
Lee is due to earn $15.4m and with the Warriors set to pay yet another massive luxury tax bill in 2015/16, they were keen to avoid such an outlay for a bench player.
Wallace is owed about $10 million next season but because his contract was signed after the most recent collective bargaining agreement, the Warriors can use the stretch provision and it will only cost the team about $3.3 million over the next three seasons -- a huge tax savings.
The deal can't be officially consummated until Thursday, when a league-wide moratorium on roster business is lifted.
