Jeremy Lin of the Charlotte Hornets looks on during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. (Photo : Getty Images/Mike Ehrmann)
Jeremy Lin is one of the best point guards available in this year's free agency and the Charlotte Hornets wants to re-sign him to a new contract. However, the latest rumors suggest that Lin is only their third priority behind Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams.
The Harvard product officially became a free agent when he declined his player option with the Hornets on Thursday, June 23. He is expected to demand a multiyear contract as he is tired of moving to a new team every year.
In an interview at Annual Meeting of the New Champions in China, Lin mentioned that he is entering his prime and he would like to maximize it as possible. The main factor he will consider in free agency is his happiness while the coach, playing style, being a starter, the city and contender status also comes to play in his decision.
"I'm 27, and an athlete's prime, or at least in the NBA, your prime is usually 27-30. That's when you kind of peak physically, mentally and that's where most players perform their best. So I'm going into my prime and I want to see how great I can be as a player, and that's my purpose in free agency," Lin said.
According to ESPN, Lin is expected to meet with three other teams besides the Hornets on July 1 when free agency officially begins. The meeting will be in his hometown of Palo Alto, California wherein he was a high school star.
The identity of the three teams was not revealed but the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets have been linked with Lin. On the other hand, there is fear in the Hornets organization about the chances of re-signing the 27-year-old guard.
Lin has expressed his desire to stay and give Charlotte a discount but he also wants to be a starter. It will be difficult to unseat Kemba Walker even though he was effective in a starting role last season. In 13 games started, he averaged 17.5 points and 4.8 assists.
Another main obstacle for the Hornets is they will prioritize re-signing Batum and Williams. They also do not own Lin's Bird Rights which means they will not have the cap space to make him stay. Nonetheless, it will be very interesting to see which team Lin will sign for.
Check out the video below for Lin's Top 10 plays from the 2015-16 NBA season.
