By
Vincent Frank on Wednesday, February 17
th 2016
The Memphis Grizzlies pulled off a rather stunning trade Tuesday by sending starting shooting guard Courtney Lee to the Charlotte Hornets in a three-team deal.
The specifics of the deal are as follows:
| Grizzlies Get | Hornets Get | Heat Get |
| F- P.J. Hairston | G- Courtney Lee | G- Brian Roberts |
| F- Chris Anderson | | |
| Four Second-Round Pick | | |
This deal amounts to nothing more than a salary dump for the Heat, who rid themselves the remainder of Anderson's contract. Though, Roberts could see some action if the team continues to face injury issues, primarily starting guard Goran Dragic and primary backup Tyler Johnson.
From a Grizzlies perspective, this deal doesn't make a ton of sense. Hairston, a first-round pick back in 2014, does possess some upside. However, he fell out of favor big time in Charlotte and is averaging just 6.0 points per game as a sophomore.
At 36 percent from three-point range, Lee was the Grizzlies' top outside shooter. The team is definitely going to miss his presence.
In acquiring Anderson, Memphis is able to at least add depth in a front court that is without Marc Gasol indefinitely after suffered a fractured bone in his foot earlier this month.
The 14-year NBA veteran has played in just seven games this season and is averaging less than two points per outing. That in and of itself should tell us a story about what type of role he will play in Memphis.
The biggest fantasy relevance here is obviously Lee heading to Charlotte in the deal. Though, it remains to be seen just how big of a role he will be taking on. Charlotte already boasts Jeremy Lin, Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum in the backcourt, so there has to be some questions regarding how much playing time Lee will actually see.
We will want to acquire an understanding of how head coach Steve Clifford plans to use Lee before drawing an ultimate conclusion from a fantasy standpoint. Should he get the playing time, he could be a solid under-the-radar DFS option in weaker slates. But that premise can't take hold until we understand how Lee fits into what Charlotte already has on the roster.