Jeremy Lin… A Free Agent?

Written by Sean Wall

It seems the Charlotte Hornet point guard is now a former point guard for the Charlotte Hornets as Jeremy Lin is back on the free-agent market. This comes after Lin reportedly declined his $2.2 million player option to stay with the team on June 7th. It was only when Lin came to Charlotte that another edition of “Linsanity” was going to start, but never got started.

The 27-year-old athlete has been on the market plenty of times since he first broke into the NBA in 2011… Imagine how Lin would fit in the Warriors this season? Of course, that’s only wishful thinking at this point. Jeremy Lin would go from being released from the Warriors, signed with the Rockets, released by the Rockets, signed with the Knicks, sent to the D-League, recalled by the Knicks, signed by the Rockets, traded by the Rockets to the Lakers, and then, sent to the Hornets.

He finally seemed to have found a steady niche on a playoff team this season with Charlotte, averaging 11.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists as a third guard who played 26.3 minutes per game.

Lin now faces an interesting fork in the road: Return to Charlotte or another team as a backup – a role that has treated him better than his last starting run with the Rockets in 2012-13. It could be a risk that it could strike him out again as a starter. Interestingly, the Rockets and their new coach Mike D’Antoni (who was Lin’s coach in New York during his Linsanity run) could be interested in a reunion. Last time around, Houston traded Lin two years into a three-year, $25 million contract after he fell short of Linsanity-driven expectations.

With all that has happened during the career of Jeremy Lin, many may feel that the next contract he’s offered may be lower than expect, but only his decision along with whatever team he aligns himself can make that a fact.