Two failed experiments in the Atlantic division and one unhappy veteran in Denver could be the next players to hit the free agency market very soon. David Lee with the Boston Celtics, Andrea Bargnani with the Brooklyn Nets and J.J. Hickson with the Denver Nuggets are all players that are expected to be bought out if they are not traded by Thursday’s trade deadline.
Following from Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo! Sports.
Several players almost assuredly who’ll get bought out and become free agents if they are not traded this week, leagues sources said, include Boston’s David Lee, Denver’s JJ Hickson and Brooklyn’s Andrea Bargnani.
All three of the players are veteran big man with very different skillsets in very different parts of their careers. Lee is towards the end of his career and towards the end of his huge contract playing on a team that has no use for him despite them taking a chance on him over the summer. Lee can score in the paint and he can rebound but defensively he is a liability and he can’t really stretch the floor anymore.
Bargnani can stretch the floor but his defense is horrible and his numbers have been bad this season on a bad Nets team. The former number one overall pick in the 2006 draft and he hasn’t performed up to expectations throughout his career. The Nets took a chance on the veteran over the summer partly due to their lack of shooting and lack of money but to this point, they are better off letting him go and developing a young guy like Chris McCullough in his place.
Hickson is a good defender and rebounder and he is athletic enough to get his own points. He’s been buried on the Nuggets depth chart this season despite his tenure with the team and they have been working with him to get him off the roster. Hickson is the youngest in this trio of big men buyout candidates and he’ll most likely get the most attention when he is made available on the open market if he’s not dealt.
