Point guard Jeremy Lin might have had a subpar season with the Los Angeles Lakers this past season, but Arash Markazi of ESPN Los Angeles wouldn't be surprised if general manager Mitch Kupchack retained the Asian-American playmaker for next season at a bargain price.
Markazi, veteran beat writer for the Lakers, hasn't ruled out another stint for Lin in Lakerland, especially if he is willing to take a pay-cut and assume a lesser role on the team's second unit.
"I think Lin could still be a nice role player off the bench. The problem is I think it's clear he's not a reliable starter, so if he wants to come back as a starter, this might not be the best fit for him. But if he's fine being a role player off the bench, I think there's a spot for him on the roster," Markazi stated in the Latest ESPN Los Angeles Lakers 3 Points Open Forum.
Shipped by the Rockets to Los Angeles in a salary-dump move almost a year ago, Lin began his Lakers campaign as the team's starter at the point guard spot. However, his struggle in orchestrating Princeton-based offense along with issue involving his toughness prompted Byron Scott to pull him out of the starting five and put veteran journeyman Ronnie Price in his place.
Lin spent the next three months on Scott's doghouse before he put up a series of strong performances to start the second half of the season. With Kobe Bryant already sitting out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury and Scott giving him the liberty to execute his bread-and-butter pick-and-roll offense, Lin had finally made his presence felt.
Buoyed by his second-half revival, Lin earned Scott's trust and a spot in the starting five with 14 games left in the regular-season. And although an upper respiratory infection and knee injury forced Lin to miss the final two weeks of the season, many analysts believed Lin did enough to draw interest from several ball clubs this offseason.