Analyzing the Gerald Wallace for Jason Thompson Swap

The Warriors have effectively turned David Lee into Jason Thompson, assuming the “draft consideration” ends up being the pick swap that has been reported (basically, the Warriors end up with the worst choice of their own, Miami’s and OKC’s for the 2016 Draft).

There are two major dimensions to consider when analyzing the Gerald Wallace for Jason Thompson swap:

The Money:

While swapping Lee for Wallace saved the Warriors more than $20 million (the figure went down from that estimate when the final, larger cap number came in), the accounting gets a little trickier when it comes to Thompson.

For the 2015-16 season, JT makes about $3.2 million less than Wallace. As was the case with Lee/Wallace, that gap makes a much larger difference in terms of luxury tax obligation, cutting Golden State’s bill by approximately $8 million. Altogether, the team saved about $11 million in 2015-16 obligations in this deal and about $33 million (!) in the trades combined, less whatever cash the Warriors sent to the Sixers here.

What makes this swap different is that Thompson has guaranteed money in 2016-17. While the Warriors may not want to keep him under contract for his full ~$7 million for that campaign, Thompson has $2.65 million guaranteed and the full amount locks in on June 26^th of 2016 (per Bobby Marks), which is actually before the league year turns over. The Warriors will have to make a quicker decision at least somewhat blind to their 2016 possibilities but the cost is not extreme.

This trade clearly has a notable financial benefit but the 2016-17 component does dull the incentive slightly. Slightly.

On the Court:

While Gerald Wallace had likely outlived his usefulness on the court for a title contender, Jason Thompson could provide value next season for this team. Despite playing Power Forward for a large portion of his NBA career, Thompson makes more sense as a Center on the Dubs and can serve as a depth player worthy of inclusion on the 13-man roster each game. Furthermore, he can scale up in role should someone get injured, which matters meaningfully in a stacked Western Conference. If the Warriors are less lucky health-wise than they were last season, having another useful big like Thompson could help keep them in some games.

While there will always be concerns that a veteran would balk at such a role change, remember that Thompson has never experienced the playoffs and had never even played on a team that won 35% of their games before Sacramento’s illustrious 29-53 campaign in 2014-15.

The best-case scenario for the Warriors would be that Thompson provides a benefit to the team that they do not need to use. However, Warriors fans should understand and appreciate how rare truly healthy seasons are in today’s NBA. While there is some chance Thompson takes minutes away from James Michael McAdoo, the more likely outcome right now is that he serves as an “In Case of Emergency” option for the front line. Since both McAdoo and Looney are natural Power Forwards, getting that additional capable Center fills an otherwise unoccupied niche with the departure of Kuzmic and obviously Thompson can be much, much better this season than our friend Wilt Kuzmic would have been.

OAKLAND, CA – APRIL 26: Bob Myers, speaks to members of the media before a game against the San Antonio Spurs (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

This stands as one of those trades that makes sense for both sides. Philadelphia cleans up their long-term books a little and gets a potential draft asset while the Warriors lower their immediate tax burden and add a useful depth piece.