Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin, who once electrified Madison Square Garden during the brief 'Linsanity era,' is emerging as option for the Knicks leading up to this summer's free-agency.
As the free-agency period draws near, the New York Knicks have been loading up for what could be a defining summer in franchise's history under 11-time NBA champion and Vice President for Basketball Operations Phil Jackson.
Armed with a significant cap space, the Knickerbockers are expected to make a hard push towards acquiring several big name free-agents in the offseason. Infusing an elite talent at the point will be the Knicks' top priority this summer. From perennial assist-champion Rajon Rondo to potent combo guard Goran Dragic, the free-agency class of 2015 is loaded with quality guards (via Hoopshype).
However, there's no assurance the Knicks would be able to land a big name point guard, because the market is going to be crowded for these coveted players. Dragic, who never denied the Knicks as a potential free-agency destination, is already drawing interest from multiple teams, including the Miami Heat, which gambled away two first-round picks and a bevy of players to the Phoenix Suns to get him at trade deadline. Rondo, meanwhile, is playing with the Dallas Mavericks, a Western Conference contender that boasts both the resources and the firepower to retain the playmaker's service.
Lin, who is playing in the final year of his three-year, $25 million contract with the Lakers, would appear to be an ideal backup target if the Knicks' star-searching coup flamed out. Averaging 11 points and 5 assists this season, Lin is having one of the most erratic campaign of his career, starting for the Lakers for the first 20 games of the season before he was relegated to the bench.
But at a still tender age of 26, Lin has enough time to turn things around and reach his full potential which many thought through the roof after a series of scintillating performance with the Knicks more than three years ago.
A Knicks-Lin reunion isn't an off-the-hook idea given the fact that New York made several attempts to reacquire the Asian-American star via trade during his tenure with the Houston Rockets, per Real GM report.. At $3MM to $5MM per year, Lin isn't a financially shabby option at the point guard spot for the Knicks as they prepare for a bigger free-agency coup the following summer in 2016 when the cap space is expected to increase almost two-fold.