After appearing in only 30 games with the Boston Celtics, veteran forward David Lee has been waived by the team. It comes as no surprise to many people as it was reported earlier in the week that Lee, among a few other forwards, were expected to be waived if they were not traded before the trade deadline.
Lee wasn’t dealt and the Celtics have elected to let him go.
Following from a Boston Celtics press release.
The Boston Celtics announced today that they have waived forward/center David Lee.
“We thank David for his contributions to our organization and wish him nothing but the best in the future,” said President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge.
Lee is still a serviceable big man in the NBA but he does have some major flaws. While he can score in the paint his defense is very suspect and his lack of ability to recover on pick and rolls is very damaging to defenses. Yet despite that fact, Lee is still expected to garner at least one more deal in the league coming from the Dallas Mavericks.
Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo! Sports reports the following.
The Dallas Mavericks are significant frontrunners for free agent David Lee, who was waived by Boston, league sources tell The Vertical.
It’s unclear at this point how much of Lee’s over $15 million in salary the Celtics paid but it’s a good move to remove the veteran and give him a chance to play somewhere else. Lee and the C’s weren’t a great fit from the start and his lack of playing time this season proved it.
