New York Knicks Courtney Lee
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Courtney Lee is on his way to Lakeland, Florida with the Westchester Knicks. The veteran will rejoin the New York Knicks on Thursday.

Courtney Lee is still working his way back from a neck injury that kept him out of action until early December. The veteran New York Knicks guard isn’t completely back to his old self. As a result, the Knicks are assigning Lee to the G League according to Knicks PR.

Lee will play in Lakeland for Westchester’s game against the Orlando Magic’s G-League affiliate. He will rejoin New York on Thursday when they take on the Hornets in Charlotte.

This may seem like an odd move to send the 11-year veteran down to the G League. But this is something that teams are doing more in recent years. This will give Lee the opportunity to find his legs and work his way back into playing shape.

DeMarcus Cousins is coming back from a much more severe injury (Achilles tear). But the Golden State Warriors are doing the same thing with their All-Star center.

Lee is a professional and there’s no reason to believe he will huff and puff at the G-League assignment.

Furthermore, it is highly likely that Lee is shipped out of New York by the trading deadline. The Knicks still need to finesse some cap space for next summer and trading Lee appears to be the easiest way to do that. For the time being, the Knicks are looking to show teams around the league that Lee is back to 100 percent.

But there is an interesting wrinkle to this move. The Knicks still need to clear a roster spot for Allonzo Trier as his two-way deal is almost up. It’s still unlikely that Lee is dealt prior to Trier’s Friday deadline, but this assignment to the G League makes you think twice about the potential of a trade involving Lee.

 
NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.