Courtney Lee wants to taste playoffs, sees that with Celtics

[j804]

ORLANDO, Fla. — Free agent guard Courtney Lee lives in Orlando and was one of the few current NBA players hanging out at the opener of the Orlando Summer League Monday at Amway Center.

Lee has met with Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who has expressed interest in having Lee come to Boston to help replace Ray Allen. Lee said the interest is mutual, and his signing with the team is a matter of coming to an agreeable contract.

The Celtics do not have the salary-cap space to sign Lee for what he is worth, so the next-best option is a sign-and-trade with the Rockets, the team that just pulled Lee’s qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Lee, who averaged 11.4 points per game last season in Houston, said he would like to get something done with the Celtics.

“Me and Doc, we’ve always had a relationship since I’ve been in the NBA,” he said. “I’m a friend of both of his kids, Austin and Jeremiah. We work out together, always see each other. Me and Doc always speak. There’s interest there, but there was no verbal agreement or anything, just hearing each other out. He expressed his interest. I expressed my interest.

“It’s not basketball-wise that needs to be discussed, it’s the front office and my agent that needs to communicate and go from there.”

When asked his most important priority, Lee said: “I want to win. I got a taste of the playoffs and going all the way to the Finals my rookie year [with Orlando in 2009]. I want to get back there. Boston, everybody knows their record and what they’ve accomplished over the years especially with Doc and having KG [Kevin Garnett] and Paul [Pierce], [Rajon] Rondo’s still there. So that’s a team I feel will win and continue to win. That’s one factor in the decision.”

Lee, 26, has played four NBA seasons after a storied career at Western Kentucky. He was dealt after his rookie season in Orlando to New Jersey in the Vince Carter trade and then sent to Houston in a four-team deal two years ago. He’s a career 38.6 percent 3-point shooter and has come off the bench in 152 of his 287 career games.

He said he’s aware the best way to get to Boston is by trade.

“You know Houston and [general manager] Daryl Morey, he loves draft picks, that’s one thing that you can do, a sign-and-trade,” Lee said. “With having Houston loving draft picks and Boston not having money to be able to pay a player, that could be an option for both teams.”

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2012/07/10/courtney_lee_celtics_have_mutual_interest/

He sounds like he would love being here and were his preferred destination. You don't hear that too often about free agents and Boston we got to get this done somehow.

[Trifecta]

ORLANDO, Fla. — Free agent guard Courtney Lee lives in Orlando and was one of the few current NBA players hanging out at the opener of the Orlando Summer League Monday at Amway Center.

Lee has met with Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who has expressed interest in having Lee come to Boston to help replace Ray Allen. Lee said the interest is mutual, and his signing with the team is a matter of coming to an agreeable contract.

The Celtics do not have the salary-cap space to sign Lee for what he is worth, so the next-best option is a sign-and-trade with the Rockets, the team that just pulled Lee’s qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Lee, who averaged 11.4 points per game last season in Houston, said he would like to get something done with the Celtics.

“Me and Doc, we’ve always had a relationship since I’ve been in the NBA,” he said. “I’m a friend of both of his kids, Austin and Jeremiah. We work out together, always see each other. Me and Doc always speak. There’s interest there, but there was no verbal agreement or anything, just hearing each other out. He expressed his interest. I expressed my interest.

“It’s not basketball-wise that needs to be discussed, it’s the front office and my agent that needs to communicate and go from there.”

When asked his most important priority, Lee said: “I want to win. I got a taste of the playoffs and going all the way to the Finals my rookie year [with Orlando in 2009]. I want to get back there. Boston, everybody knows their record and what they’ve accomplished over the years especially with Doc and having KG [Kevin Garnett] and Paul [Pierce], [Rajon] Rondo’s still there. So that’s a team I feel will win and continue to win. That’s one factor in the decision.”

Lee, 26, has played four NBA seasons after a storied career at Western Kentucky. He was dealt after his rookie season in Orlando to New Jersey in the Vince Carter trade and then sent to Houston in a four-team deal two years ago. He’s a career 38.6 percent 3-point shooter and has come off the bench in 152 of his 287 career games.

He said he’s aware the best way to get to Boston is by trade.

“You know Houston and [general manager] Daryl Morey, he loves draft picks, that’s one thing that you can do, a sign-and-trade,” Lee said. “With having Houston loving draft picks and Boston not having money to be able to pay a player, that could be an option for both teams.”

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2012/07/10/courtney_lee_celtics_have_mutual_interest/

He sounds like he would love being here and were his preferred destination. You don't hear that too often about free agents and Boston we got to get this done somehow.

This is encouraging. Hopefully Danny finds someway to land him. Definitely could use someone like him spotting up and playing some D.

[ozman]

can anyone tell me what players could be used to make Salarys match? I'd be super excited to get him, especially since he wants to be here.

[mctyson]

Once again, the two biggest factors drawing players to Boston:

1) Winning Culture

2) Doc Rivers

That's what we need going forward if we want to keep this going into the next decade.

[chambers]

Thanks for the article (TP).
He obviously really wants to come to Boston, not sure how it would work, we'd need to clear about 1 million.
Maybe Etwaun or JJJ + our OKC 2nd round pick next year?
Maybe next years first rounder?

[SHAQATTACK]

What I'm seeing ..... is once a team falls of into the abyss out of the playoffs contention ,  like the Pacers will without Hibbert .  It will be hard to retrurn, all downhill.

I agree blowing a team up can get out of hand.  SO everytime, things don't go your way , its like a divorce, just start over?

Believe its best to maintain a WINNING program, that may fall off , but Always have prize within site of a couple years of adding a piece or two.

OKC is the only team I can remeber to LUCK into that many sucessful alstar calibre picks all at once. and they allpan out nice.  OKC is fluke.

[bello_man09]

if we get him, JJ or moore can be traded...that make  us extremely deep at 2 ..but i am not worried if we don't...

[rickyfan3.0...]

Maybe we send over that free pick we just got from the Perk trade? That is too expensive IMO, though...

[celticslove]

Thanks for the article (TP).
He obviously really wants to come to Boston, not sure how it would work, we'd need to clear about 1 million.
Maybe Etwaun or JJJ + our OKC 2nd round pick next year?
Maybe next years first rounder?

if this is all it's gonna take then Danny please do it.

[action781]

Surprising how well Lee seems to know the technicalities behind trades.  I never feel like I hear players mention them and I sometimes wonder if many of them ever even have a clue

[saltlover]

can anyone tell me what players could be used to make Salarys match? I'd be super excited to get him, especially since he wants to be here.

Well, the most important question is how much money does he want.    I've heard everything from being willing to except the bi-annual (which seems to be false) to more than the MLE.  Assuming we are a taxpaying team (which is a likely assumption should we get Lee,) we can take back 125% +$100,000 of what we trade away.  So something like this might work:

Dooling (signed for ~$2.7 mil, which is the most we can sign him for if we trade him)
Sean Williams (non-guaranteed contract)
$3 million cash
2nd round pick from Charlotte

That would let us pay him just over $4.6 mil.  If he wants more, and we're willing to pay him more, then E'Tuan Moore could get added to bring the offer up to over $5.5 mil.

The two sticking points are probably how much salary he's going to command (obviously he wants the most he can get, even if he likes Boston, because most people want the most they can get) and draft pick compensation to Houston.  They just got two second rounders from New York for Camby, and probably want at least that for Lee.  Danny isn't going to give them that, unless they're our back-of-the-round picks.  I think that either the Bobcats or Minny 2013 pick that we have should get it done, but I bet that's the hold-up.  Also, I suppose someone could be completely enamored and offering $7 mil, which would be far above our pricetag, but I see it more of the first two.

[Boris Badenov]

I think he's a significantly better fit with Terry than Ray Allen would have been.

Bigger, better defender. Doesn't need the ball. Terry can supply the instant offense. Lee can guard Wade.

This would be a very, very good signing IMO.

[Evantime34]

If we can sign Lee or even Mayo will this be the deepest bench the Celtics have had post big 3 trade?
1-Terry
2-Lee
3-Green
4-Sullinger
5-Stiemsma/Wilcox

[Cman]

Thanks for the article (TP).
He obviously really wants to come to Boston, not sure how it would work, we'd need to clear about 1 million.
Maybe Etwaun or JJJ + our OKC 2nd round pick next year?
Maybe next years first rounder?

We don't have the OKC pick, it is the Charlotte Bobcats pick, which will likely be the 1st pick of the 2nd round (ie: a late first round pick).

I'd rather send our 2nd rounder, and maybe the 2014 NJ 2nd rounder.

[Snakehead]

Personally I'm very willing to trade a pick.  Next years draft looks weak and we had two 1st round picks this year.

If we can do a 2nd rounder it's a no brainer.