NBA Trade Rumors 2016: David Lee's Time in Boston Coming to a Close

By Jude Abastar, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, February 04, 2016

The trade deadline is so near that a lot of teams in the NBA are hustling to get their hands on players they need the most, while some are also trying to get rid of those they no longer see as part of their future.

The Boston Celtics appear to be part of the latter group after news that the front office has been conducting talks with the camp of forward David Lee about his future in the TD Garden.

The discussions are reportedly spearheaded by the president of basketball operations, Danny Ainge, who by the way is struggling to build a winning team in Boston after the championship run back when Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo led the team.

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Although he recognized that there indeed have been talks, he declined to give specific details about it. The 32-year-old veteran came in Boston after a trade with Golden State, and while he was part of the starting lineup in the first game of the season, he was quickly relegated to the bench. He has not seen a lot of action as of late, too. As a matter of fact, he failed to log in a single minute on the floor in Boston's last 11 games.

It's kind of hard to imagine that Lee is a former All-Star and is just 32 years old to be deteriorating this quick. Although his numbers will certainly show that he hasn't been the same player compared to how he was three years ago, the reason for his decreased level of play may be more of an issue of being able to fit in the Celtics' system. He's a big man who can space the floor well and can shoot from the outside. However, head coach Brad Stevens looks like someone who wants a four or five who can bang inside and become an intimidating defensive presence.

With all that in mind, it's no surprise if Lee is traded before the deadline. The only issue is if there will be any team willing to trade for him at this point in his career. Perhaps there will be a couple, but he sure will no longer get a long-term contract in this market.