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Trail Blazers: Three potential signings on the buyout market

By Stevie Cozens

CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 4: Marvin Williams #2 of the Charlotte Hornets looks on before the game against the Golden State Warriors on December 04, 2019 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 4: Marvin Williams #2 of the Charlotte Hornets looks on before the game against the Golden State Warriors on December 04, 2019 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

Courtney Lee

Courtney Lee of the Dallas Mavericks could also be an interesting addition for this team. Another reason for players to pursue buyouts, is that it gives them a chance to potentially get a bigger role or get off a team where they aren’t playing to show that they can still add value to a team.

Lee, unfortunately, was stuck on a terrible New York Knicks team and barely played last season for them. Traded as part of the Kristaps Porzingis deal, he has actually only played 44 games this season and last.

He can still help a team though, as shown when he played some of his best basketball in the first two years of his Knicks tenure. Lee shot 40.1 percent from three in 165 games for the Knicks. He is an above average defender and at six-foot-five has great positional size for the shooting guard spot.

Lee can swing between the two and the three and at 34 he has lots of experience in the league. He went to the finals with the Orlando Magic in his rookie year, while also playing for the grit and grind Memphis Grizzlies in the mid 2010s.

If the Blazers make a run at the playoffs with the return of Jusuf Nurkic, then they will need extra shooting and experience. Lee could the knockdown shooter that this team needs on the wing. His career average of 38.8 percent from three shows his consistency shooting the long ball, while he has also been one of the best corner three shooters in the league for a long time, at around 42 percent.

Like Williams, the Blazers could sign Lee to the minimum and then bring him back next year on the veterans minimum if they liked what he could do. There aren’t a massive amount of guys likely to be around on the buyout market, but if they could secure Lee’s services, he could still help this team.