Linsanity was a phenomenon not too long ago.
In the 2011-12 season. Jeremy Lin was given an opportunity with the Mike D'Antoni-led Knicks to fill in at point guard. All of a sudden, he was putting up a historic stretch of basketball production in his first few starts, and Linsanity began sweeping across the globe.
The hype surrounding Lin has since died down. Following a 35-game run with New York, Rockets GM Daryl Morey, who once cut Lin, prepared an offer sheet the cap-strapped Knicks couldn't match, bringing Lin back to Houston. Lin played two seasons of solid basketball for the Rockets before becoming a cap-cutting casualty as they moved him to the Lakers in order to sign Dwight Howard. A year later, Lin signed with the Charlotte Hornets on a two-year deal.
With a significant jump in the salary cap for teams, Lin is taking the intelligent road of not exercising his $2.2 million player option for next season. He's making himself an unrestricted free agent after a great season under Steve Clifford in Charlotte. The goal is to cash in on the spike in available money and find a long-term spot in the NBA to further his career.
Here's everything you need to know about Lin's free agency situation heading into this summer, as he's one of the better point guard prospects to add to your franchise.
Why Jeremy Lin makes sense for your team
Some may look at the idea of signing Lin to a big contract as crazy because he's not supposed to be your starting point guard of the future. Lin is nowhere close to a top 10 point guard, and ideally that's the type of lead guard who deserves being paid big money. Lin earned a little over $8 million per year in the contract Morey gave him to pry him away from the Knicks. With the cap jumping by a third and a weak free agent class benefiting from that spike, Lin could see that old figure double pretty easily. At worst, he'll probably see that figure go up 1.5 times.
Is it crazy to give Lin huge money in the $12 million range? That may just be the going rate. There is an excessive amount of money being thrown around this summer and Lin is a quality free agent that can add to your team. Perhaps you're not grabbing him as your starting point guard, but paying him to be one of the three guards in your main rotation is a smart idea. It can become tricky if he starts making more money than the incumbent point guard, but that's for management and future contract negotiations for that player to figure out.
The beauty of adding Lin to your rotation is the versatility it provides. Lin was a fantastic role player for the Charlotte Hornets this past season and that was while seeing a dip in 3-point accuracy from the previous two seasons. Lin made just 33.6 percent from downtown, but shot 35.8 percent and 36.9 percent, respectively, in his two seasons in Houston. It's probably safe to assume the 3-point shooting can improve in the next situation because of the success he had on the Rockets.
Where he's really adding value is in the lineup adaptability and the defensive impact he's able to have.
The three lineups Lin played in the most for Charlotte saw the Hornets post a plus-8.8, plus-22.3, and plus-33.0 points per 100 possessions. Two of those lineups featured him playing in a dual point guard configuration with Kemba Walker on the floor. The other one had him running a big attack with Spencer Hawes, Frank Kaminsky, Marvin Williams and Jeremy Lamb beside him.
At 6-foot-3, Lin is a bigger point guard strong enough to handle some shooting guard matchups, which gives his team plenty of speed and quickness to create havoc for opposing offenses. Any stop can turn into a fast break. And having to defend them on the other end can be a real pain. The Hornets, a good defensive team in the first place, were about a full point per 100 possessions better with Lin and Walker on the floor together, despite giving up all that size. The Hornets played with this two-point guard lineup combination of Lin and Walker for about 30 percent of their season's minutes.
Offensively, Lin was great creating for others in the pick-and-roll. In plays that included him either taking a shot, getting to the free-throw line, turning the ball over, or finding a teammate, Lin created 0.961 points per possession for the Hornets last season. That's good for the 76th percentile in the league. In just situations in which he passed out to a teammate, that efficiency rose to 0.978 PPP (83rd percentile). That put him fifth among players with at least 315 possessions (Lin's number) and slightly ahead of Chris Paul. That's how good he was in the pick-and-roll.
And that's where his value comes into play the most. He can make others better on both ends of the floor, whether he's playing with the starters or leading the second unit. So which teams should go after Lin this summer? Here are 11 teams that could benefit from signing Jeremy Lin:
The Hornets should absolutely try to re-sign Lin, but they're in a bit of a tough cap situation. They have a handful of important free agents to keep. Al Jefferson, Nicolas Batum, Marvin Williams (early Bird rights), Courtney Lee and Lin are all free agents. That could be tough to finagle getting everybody within the cap space because of Williams' early Bird rights and Lin not having Bird rights at all. It probably means he's on his way out, unless the Hornets decide to part with some of the available free agents they need to re-sign.
The acquisition of Marco Belinelli on draft night probably makes Lee expendable, but the Hornets are still tight for flexibility.
The Nets have had two goals since Mikhail Prokhorov purchased the team: 1) Become a brand you can sell and 2) Become a brand you can sell that ticks off the Knicks. A pursuit of Lin not only accomplishes that criteria but it also adds some much-needed depth at the point guard position. Sean Marks is trying to rebuild a roster without many assets. He has Jarrett Jack as the incumbent point guard, Shane Larkin as a free agent and just drafted Caris LeVert as a combo guard, who Marks would like to see become the point guard of the future. That's where Lin fits in perfectly.
Bringing him back to the New York area gives a nice pick-and-roll combination with Brook Lopez. It gives this team a PG who can play alongside both LeVert or Jack. The Nets have a lot of cap room, so they can afford to throw some of that toward lineup versatility that Marks would love to bring in from his days with the San Antonio Spurs. The Nets also don't have a lot of available talent, so getting some0ne like Lin just increases the skill level on the roster, especially if Lin rediscovers his 3-point shot.
So what about a return to the Rockets this summer? The last time Lin signed a big contract, it was with Houston. It went fine, but it got complicated with James Harden later being added to the roster. The combination of Harden and Lin on the court was tricky because both were accustomed to having the ball in their hands. So why would Lin go back to that situation? He's more accustomed to finding balance off the ball now and the hiring of Mike D'Antoni would make things much better for Lin.
He thrived under D'Antoni in New York and he shot the best of his career during his time in Houston. If the Rockets lose Dwight Howard, they'll have plenty of money to pursue a replacement and Lin. Could be a very nice option for D'Antoni as he splits time between Lin and Patrick Beverley at the PG position.
Despite a great draft night, the Philadelphia 76ers still don't have a real point guard. T.J. McConnell and Kendall Marshall aren't starters for an NBA team getting serious about winning, and with Ben Simmons becoming the primary playmaker for the Sixers, you need a guy who can play on and off the ball. That makes Lin perfect for Brett Brown's attack. He can run 100 pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop plays with the options on offense. He adds a veteran presence they've been desperate for since the tear-down of the roster.
Lin also adds some marketability to the Sixers they could use in this Bryan Colangelo-led restructure. All of that stuff matters and with Lin taking the bulk of the point guard minutes, the Sixers would be far more competitive than they've been in the past. It's not the highest profile guy the Sixers can get, but he's a great second option for them in free agency. Plus, they have a lot of money to spend.
All of a sudden, the Chicago Bulls have a big opening at the point guard position. They acquired Jose Calderon and Jerian Grant in the Derrick Rose trade, but they still need a full-time point guard who can move the ball in Fred Hoiberg's system. Lin can be that guy, so Calderon's red carpet defense isn't utilized as much and Grant is able to be brought along slower. Assuming Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah are gone in free agency, there wouldn't be many issues in finding room for Lin under the cap. But they also need to go find a big man first.
The only way this option makes any sense is if the Grizzlies want to remain competitive after losing Mike Conley. If Conley decides to play for another team, the Grizzlies will need help at the point guard position. Lin could be a nice stopgap for them at the 1 and then they can figure where to go in the future. With all of this cap space for teams over the next two summer, he wouldn't be hard to deal in 2017 if they decide to tear everything down and rebuild.
Lin just stated that he wasn't going to rule out a return to the New York Knicks. It's a smart strategy entering free agency to make sure any and all teams are possible options to make sure you have enough bidders to drive up the price. He also mentioned the acquisition of Derrick Rose makes it less likely for a reunion. Trading for Rose does mean finding a way to bring Lin back makes sense. You can't rely on Rose being healthy, and Jeff Hornacek has had some success in Phoenix playing with two point guards in the lineup. Still, the money commanded could be tough to spend on a return for Lin, especially when you may need to open up the checkbook for Rose next summer. Plus, you don't want to add a distraction of creating a controversy at point guard from Day 1.
The Sacramento Kings may not be sold on re-signing Rajon Rondo, and Darren Collison's legal troubles cloud his future with the team. The King have been desperate to make a splash in free agency since Vlade Divac took over the front office. This isn't the sexiest splash the Kings can make, but he fills a void at the point guard position. Having him run pick-and-rolls with DeMarcus Cousins could be a great combination, and he'll defend at a level Dave Joerger would demand from his point guard.
The Orlando Magic already have a plethora of point guard options. Elfrid Payton has been the guy they're grooming over the past two years. They have C.J. Watson as a cheap backup point guard. They also have Shabazz Napier on a rookie deal. But the Magic are now getting antsy to return to the playoffs and with Frank Vogel as the new coach, they could use a stable option at point. Adding Lin to the mix could make him either a nice backup to Payton or the guy that challenges Payton for the starting role to see if he can make the leap moving forward.
The Magic have a lot of cap room and probably don't need Brandon Jennings anymore. Bringing in Lin creates a logjam, but one that is easily remedied with a deal to send Watson to a new team.
The Mavs have plenty of options at the point position. They have J.J. Barea and Devin Harris on the roster for depth. They can try to re-sign Deron Williams and Raymond Felton this summer, and both players saw jumps in production under Rick Carlisle. They'll also be targeting Mike Conley as their main free agent acquisition. But if all of that falls through and they decide Lin is the guy for them, it'd be a great move. Carlisle isn't just happy to use lineups with two point guards; we've also seen him go with three point guards in a lineup. Lin's versatility on both ends of the floor would give Carlisle the adaptation he wants with a lineup. The Mavs don't have great success with drawing the big-name free agent recently so maybe Lin is the right backup option for them.
After moving Shelvin Mack at the trade deadline and Jeff Teague the week of the NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks' point guard duties now belong to Dennis Schroder. He's shown flashes of brilliance and he's shown stretches of shooting himself, and by proxy the team, in the foot. He's willing to gamble, but could use a calming veteran presence to play alongside and have as a backup option. Lin could absolutely be that guy to help Atlanta transition to a more stable attack with Schroder as the lead point guard.
The Hawks struggled last season playing a dual-point guard lineup. They were a minus-8.5 points per 100 possessions with Teague and Schroder on the court together. The offense was bad (95.4) and the defense was mediocre at best (103.9). Part of that was neither point guard was used to playing off the ball. Also, Teague's knee injury probably limited what he could do defensively. You wouldn't have that problem with Lin as the other point guard.
Atlanta's issue in making this happen if they're interested is the money. Al Horford is going to re-sign for the max if he decides to stay there. Then they'll want to re-sign Kent Bazemore, who has early Bird rights only. That leaves no money for pursuing Lin unless they can work a sign-and-trade or he's willing to take a much lower salary. If they lose Horford, maybe it becomes a reality, but the team obviously takes a bit of a nosedive in the process.
