The NBA Free Agency rumors continue and some players could reunite with their newly-promoted mentors.
Jeremy Lin had a great season with the Charlotte Hornets and redeemed himself after lackluster seasons with the Houston Rockets and LA Lakers. It seems like a no-brainer to keep him but the reality is that the Charlotte Hornets may have to make some choices as they have five rotation players becoming free agents.
When their season ended, experts from ESPN Insider were asked to rank the Hornets' free agents in order of priority. The consensus top priority was Nic Batum and team executives also concurred with that. Jeremy Lin was fourth (even fifth) behind Marvin Williams and Courtney Lee.
Amin Elhassan noted that "Lin is a nice counterbalance to Walker, and the fact that he can either play alongside him or come off the bench without any hit to his ego is more crucial than one might assume." However, the Hornets would not be able to offer him top dollars.
While Lin has already said he's willing to take a discount just to stay in Charlotte and that he would choose fit and familiarity over money, offers for a starting role from other teams could be tempting. What if another team offered both the opportunity to start along with reuniting with a familiar face?
In a recent report from Mitch Lawrence of Sporting News, he claimed that Charlotte may not even make an offer and Lin is better off elsewhere.
"With the Hornets not expected to try to retain Lin, he could make his way back to New York, this time to resume his career with Atkinson in Brooklyn."
Atkinson was an underrated hire as he has extensive experience. He was chosen by new Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks and could be the key to turning the team's fortunes around.
Since Atkinson was hired, Lin was already linked with the Nets, but the coach also has ties with Jeff Teague, an All-Star point guard on the trading block. Atkinson was an assistant in Atlanta after his stint in New York.
The Nets would not be able to choose between Teague and Lin because Teague is still under contract and the Nets would have to trade for them. The caveat is that Brooklyn is rather short on tradable assets. The best option is to sign Jeremy Lin.