The Los Angeles Lakers' reported interest in Chinese power forward Yi Jianlian comes as a surprise because they are already dealing a logjam of players at the power forward position. However, after losing Jeremy Lin to free-agency, the Lakers front-office doesn't mind opening a roster spot for the former lottery pick to continue capitalizing on 2.5 million Asian-American TV market in the city.
In spite recording one of the worst seasons in franchise history, the Lakers attained a significant marketing leverage last season, thanks to Lin. Already among the most popular players in the NBA, Lin proved to be valuable off-the-court for the Lakers, as his presence in Hollywood energized the biggest Asian-American market in the United States.
Not only did more Asian-Americans rally behind the Lakers last season, sponsorships backed by Asian companies such as Taiwanese tire company Maxxis also poured in largely because of Lin's massive popularity.
But with Lin joining the Charlotte Hornets this offseason, a drop in the Asian-American TV market is inevitable. Yet, the Lakers appears to be attempting to cushion the impact of Lin's absence by attempting to bring in Yi Jianlian, the 6th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Although Jianlian won't top Lin's marketability for the Lakers, he would have kept the team intriguing for the majority of Asian-American population in Los Angeles. The Lakers already got a portion of the pie with Filipino-American Jordan Clarkson, but having Jianlian on its roster would have made a bigger percentage of the Chinese populace in check as well.
It's hard to think the Lakers' attempt to lure Jianlian back to the NBA is basketball-motivated. Even if he agreed to a deal with the Lakers, he's not going to gain much playing time with Julius Randle, Brandon Bass, Ryan Kelly and Larry Nance Jr stockpiled at the power forward spot. Indeed, it was a marketing deal the Lakers failed to close out.