Knicks' Lee: Hornets prioritized re-signing Batum over keeping me

Courtney Lee didn't put up mind-blowing numbers during his 28 games with the Charlotte Hornets last season, but he was still a key cog in their run to the playoffs, with the team getting to within one game of the second round.

When he hit unrestricted free agency, though, Hornets management had a pecking order in terms of where their money should go, and Lee wasn't at the top.

"I was in contact with a lot of them but I wasn’t their No. 1 priority,’" Lee said, according to the New York Post's Marc Berman. "(Nicolas) Batum was. They were meeting with him and other opportunities knocked on my door for me and my family."

As productive as Lee was after coming over from the Memphis Grizzlies (8.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists as a starter), Batum was simply that much better (14.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists) across the board. The 27-year-old Frenchman secured himself a fat five-year, $120-million contract, while Lee joined the New York Knicks for $50 million over four years.

A strong sales pitch from Joakim Noah reportedly helped entice Lee to call The Big Apple his new home. It also helped that the Knicks had an obvious void at shooting guard that he could fill after trotting out Arron Afflalo (signed with Sacramento Kings) and Sasha Vujacic in 2015-16.

Lee averaged 13 points on 47.4 percent shooting and 54.5 percent from behind the arc, along with two rebounds and 2.5 assists during New York's recent home-and-home series with the Hornets.