The Golden State Warriors won’t have much money this offseason which could lead them to make some rather interesting additions — one being Jeremy Lin.
With the salary cap set to stay flat or decline this offseason given the dip in revenue the league saw, the Golden State Warriors, who have four max-value players, will have to use their funds wisely.
They currently have two open roster spots and a mid-level exception at their disposal. Who they’ll target with that is still up in the air. Players like Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka make sense, but another player may start to gain some interest from Golden State.
While the team may not need to use the mid-level exception on him, Jeremy Lin may be gaining steam as a target for Golden State.
“According to a reliable source, the Golden State Warriors have expressed a clear interest in Jeremy Lin. The Warriors’ core Curry likes Jeremy Lin’s way of playing and clearly expressed his hope that he can join the Warriors,” HoopsHype translated from Weixin.
Lin didn’t play in the NBA this past season. He went to the Chinese league.
In China, Lin averaged over 22 points per game and neared 50 percent from the field. Given that the Warriors will be targeting a backup point guard, Lin’s addition would make sense for both sides.
Lin became a celebrity during Linsanity, a stretch of games in which he absolutely went off. Being in New York certainly helped Lin’s popularity skyrocket even further.
Following that one-year stint with the Knicks, Lin played with Houston, Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Charlotte, Atlanta and Toronto. He also spent his rookie season with Golden State. While in the Bay Area he averaged just 2.6 points per game, Lin’s numbers have drastically increased.
The 6-foot-3, 32-year-old should be able to do well in the league if he were able to make a return, but it only seems likely that he’d return if it were on his terms. Being a backup point guard for the Golden State Warriors should be the ideal role for any player.
If the interest is there, it makes sense for both parties to get this deal done.