Report: Spurs' Lee declines player option, will test free agency

San Antonio Spurs big man David Lee has reportedly declined his player option worth approximately $2.3 million for the 2017-18 season, according to The Vertical's Shams Charania.

Lee has averaged 13.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game over his 12-year NBA career; in his lone season with the Spurs, the 34-year-old appeared in 79 games but saw his points per game drop to just 7.3, the lowest mark since his rookie season in 2005-06.

While he still has value as a secondary playmaker and scorer off the bench, Lee's eroding defensive abilities and general age-related decline make him a liability in heavy minutes.

A two-time All-Star, Lee won an NBA championship with the Warriors in 2015. If there's a team in need of veteran leadership, Lee stands to make more than the $2.3 million he walked away from.