Jeremy Lin (Photo : Reuters)
With barely three weeks left before the end of the 2014-15 NBA regular-season, Los Angeles Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin has already prepared himself for what would be a wild free-agency period this coming summer.
After a dismal performance through the first half of the season, the 26-year old Lin delivered his best basketball just at the right time as he came up with a series of strong games after he returned from a one week All-Star break.
Lin, who has upped his season averages to 11.4 points and 4.7 dimes, has somehow revived his floundering free-agency stock and put him in position for another lucrative contract, although it won't be as pricey as the three-year, $25 million deal he signed with the Houston Rockets in 2012.
According to various sources, the Rockets have maintained their interest in re-acquiring Lin this summer in an attempt to bolster their backcourt, but NBA insiders are expecting Lin to pick a team that can offer him a chance to start again.
Before the Rockets dealt him along with a first-round pick to the Lakers, Lin has reportedly gained trade interest from the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers (via ESPN). The Bucks pulled off a trade at the 11th hour of Feb 19 deadline to acquire point guard Michael Carter-Williams, but the same transaction also depleted the Sixers' point guard rotation.
Lin, who is known as one of the finest finishers off a pick-and-roll, is viewed as perfect fit to the Sixers' high-octane offense that resembles almost the same system the Rockets are using under head coach Kevin McHale and GM Daryl Morey - the mentor of current Sixers GM Sam Hinkie.
Lin's scoring prowess was showcased in the Lakers' 101-87 win over the Sixers two weeks ago, as the Asian-American stud dropped 29 points on 10-for-16 FG shooting and 7-for-8 FT along with five boards and five dimes.
Lin's big game left an impression on Sixers head coach Brett Brown, who admitted that he did everything he could do to contain the Lakers guard but none worked out well.
"We tried to double-team Lin with about seven minutes left, and he still found ways to score," 76ers coach Brett Brown said in a post-game interview via ESPN/Associated Press. "We tried multiple people on him and tried to get length on him with Jerami Grant. We tried to blitz him and searched to try to find ways to defend him, but we struggled all night."
As Lin hits the free-agency market this summer, the Sixers, a team armed with plenty of cap space, will be one of the teams making a run at the ex-Harvard standout.
