Could the Return of Jeremy Lin Be on the Horizon?
Posted on June 26, 2014 by Marcus Thompson
The return of Jeremy Lin?
The Warriors, per a league source, have informed the Houston they would consider acquiring Lin from the Rockets via trade. Houston is reportedly shopping Lin in case they need to create cap space for Carmelo Anthony or LeBron James.
The Warriors have a $9.8 million trade exception leftover from the trade that sent Andris Biedrins and Richard Jefferson’s expiring contract to Utah. Though Lin is scheduled to make $14.9 million, only $8.37 will count against the salary cap. That means the Warriors can absorb Lin’s contract without giving up any players.
Nothing is imminent, the source said. It’s one of many options the Warriors are weighing.
It should be noted, the players the Warriors would prefer more is Chandler Parsons. But with no back-up guards under contract outside of Nemanja Nedovic, the Warriors could really use Lin.
They not only need a back-up for Stephen Curry, they need someone who can get to the basket. Lin’s strength is penetrating and finishing.
He’s also developed into a steady outside shooter. Last season, Lin shot 35.8 percent from the field and had a true shooting percentage of 57.2, both career-highs.
With New York and Houston, Lin has proven he can play the point guard position. So it stands to reason he is more than capable of filling in for Curry.
In 2011, the Warriors waived Jeremy Lin, who they signed as an undrafted free agent the year before, to clear cap space for a run at free agent center DeAndre Jordan. Lin went onto star become a global star, leading the Knicks to the playoffs.
Acquiring Lin, though, would put the Warriors close to next year’s luxury tax. So acquiring Lin (without dumping other salaries) would limit the teams flexibility going forward. For instance, using the full mid-level exception would like put the Warriors into the luxury tax.
Is Lin worth paying the tax for? Can the Warriors get a similar player, like Rodney Stuckey, for the mid-level and have more wiggle room under the tax? Would this hurt their chances at Kevin Love (considering taking back Kevin Martin would really be a blow to their cap)?
These are questions the Warriors would have to answer should the Rockets start shedding salary for Carmelo Anthony.
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