Report: David Lee, Andrea Bargnani will 'almost assuredly' be bought out

Barring trades before the deadline, a trio of struggling power forwards look sure to reach buyouts with their teams.

Boston's David Lee, Brooklyn's Andrea Bargnani, and Denver's JJ Hickson will "almost assuredly" be bought out unless they're traded, The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski reports, citing league sources.

The 32-year-old Lee is the most serviceable of the three buyout candidates. The former two-time All-Star averaged 18.2 points and 9.3 rebounds on 52.3 percent shooting as recently as 2013-14, then saw a sharp decline in his minutes in the two years thereafter.

Lee has shortcomings on defense, but he's a skilled big who could conceivably come off the bench for a contender. He's averaging 7.1 points and 4.3 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game this season.

Hickson might also interest teams, although he's reportedly already been available for nearly a month. An energetic big who also has defensive shortcomings, Hickson is somewhat athletic, and he's averaging 6.9 points and 4.4 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game this season.

Finally, Bargnani is a former No. 1 pick whose disappointing career has not shown any signs of rebounding with the Nets. His 3-point shot has abandoned him (just 18.8 percent on the year), and he's averaging 5.5 rebounds per 36 minutes.