13 Players the New York Knicks held onto for too long
By Tyler Watts
10. Courtney Lee
Lee was a steady role player throughout his career. He was the 22nd overall pick in 2008 and helped the Magic reach the NBA Finals in his rookie season. Lee was traded to the Nets in 2009 for Vince Carter and he played for six different teams before joining the Knicks as a free agent in 2016.
New York had missed the playoffs three straight years, so they rewarded Lee with a four-year, $48 million contract as they searched for steady role players around Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis. The 31-year-old guard was a plus shooter and floor spacer that filled a need.
Courtney Lee had two productive seasons in the Big Apple, including arguably the best year of his career in 2017-18. He averaged over 30 minutes per game and was mostly a starter before falling out of the rotation entirely to start the 2018-2019 campaign. Lee was traded as part of the Porzingis deal to Dallas that netted the Knicks two first-round picks. Still, Lee alone would have had value if the Knicks traded him in the summer of 2018.
Instead, New York held on too long, and the Knicks had to throw in Lee, Trey Burke, and Tim Hardaway Jr. as salary dumps in the KP trade.