Washington Wizards forward Rashard Lewis plans to visit a knee specialist in New York today to "receive a third opinion on the sore right knee that has kept him sidelined for the past five games," reports Michael Lee of the Washington Post. The 31-year-old veteran is experiencing discomfort in the knee and would like to avoid surgery if possible, but has been unable to play through the pain so far.

The Orlando Magic traded Lewis to Washington in December for Gilbert Arenas after a disappointing start to the season, in which Lewis struggled to shift back to his theoretically more natural position of small forward to make way for Brandon Bass in their starting five. Lewis averaged only 12.2 points per game with the Magic this season, his fourth in Orlando, down from 14.1 last year. He's scoring even less (11.4 points) in D.C., but is shooting better from the floor (46.4 percent) and contributing in other areas (5.8 rebounds, 2 assists) in which he made a minimal impact in Magic pinstripes.

Does Lewis' injury at all change your opinion of the trade which brought Arenas to town? The veteran combo guard is shooting just 34.9 percent with Orlando and has committed too many turnovers, but he's also provided an upgrade over Chris Duhon, who entered the season as Jameer Nelson's backup and has played erratically at best.