Dallas Mavericks guard Rajon Rondo (Photo : REUTERS)
Jeremy Lin, sitting at the crossroad at this point of his career, might never find a better offer this summer than a ticket back home where he can become an X-factor to a Golden State Warriors team has gone a long way behind the back of Klay Thompson and recently crowned NBA MVP Stephen Curry.
The 26-year old Lin will hit the market this offseason, hoping to find a team he can finally call home after tumultuous stints with the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers over the last three years.
Having the opportunity to start again will be Lin’s top priority coming into the free-agency period. However, a subpar statistical year (averaging at least 11 points and 4 dimes during 2014-15 season) and an expected surplus of quality point guards on the market did not bode well for his free-agency stock, significantly decreasing his value and divesting him of some leverage in negotiations.
The Rockets are reported interested to re-acquire Lin after sending him to Lakers last summer in a salary-dump move to create cap space for max-contract free-agents. The Denver Nuggets and the Philadelphia 76ers are being linked to former Harvard hot shot as well, although none of these would make a starting point guard role available for him.
During his appearance on ESPN Radio Los Angeles, Mychal Thompson, who is also the father of All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson, thinks Lin would be a nice acquisition for the Warriors. Not only does his up-tempo style fit well into Steve Kerr’s run-and-gun philosophy, but he could also bring a different dynamic to the team.
Thompson has no doubt Lin can make a big impact with the Warriors despite coming off the bench because of his versatility in playing both guard positions and ability to create shot opportunities for himself and his teammates.
The Warriors have been terrific dropping buckets all season long with Curry and Thompson both on the floor, but their offense noticeably takes a dip everytime the All-Star backcourt tandem are resting on the bench. Leandro Barbosa and Brandon Rush, who both will become free-agents, had some solid scoring nights, yet they were never close to becoming a consistent scoring sparkplug for the Warriors.
Lin has been one of the better scoring point guards in the NBA, especially when attacking the rim and the Warriors would thrive having a dynamic sixth-man like Lin to keep their offense afloat. Golden State will have enough room to sign Lin this offseason; however, renewing their ties with the Asian-American star would depend on the player’s asking price.
According to Thompson, he thinks Lin still values him at $10 million per year – a price tag the Warriors could not afford. Landing a deal with a championship contender and his home team would require Lin to lower the value of his contract just a little bit, making it a short and hopefully sweet deal for everybody.
