Veteran guard Damion Lee will always go down as a champion with the Golden State Warriors, but his NBA career may now be at the crossroads following a pair of injury-interrupted seasons at the Phoenix Suns.
The brother-in-law of Warrior superstar Stephen Curry, Lee made over 200 regular season appearances for Golden State which included averaging 20 minutes during the franchise's triumphant 2021-22 championship season.
Damion Lee may have to head overseas to revive his NBA career
Lee then joined the Suns in the 2022 offseason, signing a two-year, $5.4 million contract with the divisional rivals. His tenure in Phoenix couldn't have got off to a better start, scoring 11 fourth-quarter points and nailing the game-winning jump-shot in a 107-105 comeback win over the Dallas Mavericks on opening night.
Unfortunately that was nearly three years ago, with things going rather downhill for Lee since. His first year in Phoenix was solid, averaging 8.2 points in a 20-minute per game role which also saw him shoot a blistering 44.5% from 3-point range.
Training camp in 2023 brought a brutal turn of events, with Lee tearing his meniscus in an injury that forced him to miss the entire season. The Suns had seen enough the previous year to sign him to a one-year, minimum deal last offseason, but the injury worries were far from over.
Damion Lee hits the game-winner for the Warriors 🥶 pic.twitter.com/5CMH0HlzqJ
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 28, 2020
Lee did return to play 25 games with Phoenix last season, yet he was far from the same player that the franchise had acquired from Golden State in 2022. The 32-year-old averaged 3.3 points in 5.8 minutes per game, shooting 36.5% from the floor and 24.3% from 3-point range.
The Suns have made a host of moves this offseason, most notably trading former Warrior Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns and executing a buyout with 3x All-Star Bradley Beal. But after a string of transactions to revamp the roster, re-signing Lee doesn't appear to be on the radar.
Phoenix now have two roster spots available after parting ways with Beal, but they desperately need another point guard more so than bringing Lee back. In fact, it's difficult to see where the seven-year veteran's next NBA home may come.
Golden State have a number of roster spots to fill, but there's no indication that a reunion with Lee is on the cards. It's more likely that the Warriors unite Curry with his younger brother in Seth, while they're expected to bring in another former two-guard in De'Anthony Melton as a free agent.
Hopefully Lee can overcome his injuries and get another shot in the league somewhere, but he may just have to head overseas or to the G League first in order to prove his case for another opportunity.