The New York Knicks will try their hand at making moves prior to this trade deadline, and while their first priority is thinning their ranks at the center spot, there might be other players involved in talks to finish out a package.
Among them is veteran shooting guard Courtney Lee, who has enjoyed one of his better seasons in the league and could be on the radars of other NBA teams before Feb. 8 — but the 32-year-old remains unfazed by the rumors surrounding him.
“If I get traded, I get traded,” Lee told Anthony Rieber of Newsday during Knicks shootaround on Tuesday. “If I’m here, I’m here. I’m happy either way. I’m alive and I’m playing basketball and that’s what I love to do.”
Lee is having his best scoring season, averaging 13.6 points per game and has two years and $25 million left on his contract, a decent contract in today's NBA, which has been full of balloon deals.
Yet the 10-year veteran isn't fretting over the rumors of who stays and who goes, noting his experience in the league has taught him to stay ready, no matter the outcome.
“Not at all,” Lee said when asked if he would be shocked to leave New York. “Not at all. I’ve been in this league 10 years, been traded a couple times. It’s nothing new. Only thing you can do is control what you can control, show up, be professional, do your work, go hard and leave it all out on the floor and whatever happens happens.”
“I understand a lot about this NBA. It’s a business first and foremost. It comes with the territory, so I definitely understand.”
Lee's prowess as a three-and-D veteran should find plenty of suitors, likely going hand-in-hand with one of the team's four centers.
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