It’s usually been injuries that’s hampered the Golden State Warriors 2019-20 season, but with Damion Lee, things are a little more complicated. The Warriors will be without Lee when Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks roll into San Francisco Tuesday night. However, Lee is not dealing with an injury.
Lee is still on his two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors, and he’s exhausted the 45-day service time limit on his deal. Until his full-time contract is finalized with the Dubs, he will be relegated to the bench.
Two-way contract players are only allowed to spend 45-days with their NBA club, with the rest of their time spent in the G League. Against the Los Angeles Clippers last week, Lee spent the last of his 45-days with Golden State.
Before capping his two-way contract, the Golden State Warriors waived Marquese Chriss to reportedly open up a full-time spot on the roster for Lee.
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1214429755648413696?s=20
Due to their salary cap restrictions, Lee is stuck waiting while the Warriors finalize his contract, costing the shooting guard two-straight games.
While Lee isn’t suited up, he’s still expected to remain in Golden State for the future. Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle reported this should be the last game Lee misses, as he’s expected to have a multi-year contract finalized soon.
Damion Lee is expected to miss tomorrow’s game vs. Dallas. This should be the last game he sits before finalizing a multi year deal with the Warriors.
— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) January 13, 2020
The Warriors could use Lee’s service as they’ve dropped eight straight games, triggering their season-high losing streak for the 2019-20 NBA season. While Golden State has struggled to find a win, Lee has played well, earning a starting role for the Warriors.
Lee has started 13-straight games before hitting his 45-day limit on his two-way contract. The Baltimore native is averaging 12.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game for Golden State this season.