Jeremy Lin is a relevant name in the NBA again as he has outgrown the "Linsanity" novelty tag.
The career arc of the Harvard alum is a colorful one, with his rags-to-riches emergence in no less than Madison Square Garden-the Mecca of basketball, right until his sudden descent into reality. Last year's offseason saw him drop almost to the minimum as a free agent.
However, the hoop sensation from Taiwan played himself into relevance again, becoming one of the league's best sparkplugs off the bench. Hoops Habit has named him one of the best bargains in the league and one of the reasons for the Charlotte Hornets' unexpected success.
"Here's hoping this mutually beneficial fit lasts past this season if he opts out and becomes able to sign with anyone," HH pointed out. Lin is definitely worth more than $ 2 million especially when one considers that he still has a considerable following worldwide.
The Hornets would not let him walk but admittedly, they have a lot of free agents to take care of, specifically the looming max contract due for Nicolas Batum. The team would also need to address their frontline needs if Al Jefferson walks.
There would be many teams who would take the opportunity to pry Lin from Charlotte and one of them could be the Chicago Bulls. An article from Yibada had Jeremy Lin being involved in a trade to the Bulls, who would need a reliable option as Derrick Rose's status continues to fluctuate.
At this point, the Hornets are unlikely to trade Lin but if he opts out, the Bulls can offer him the long-term starting point guard position (as Derrick Rose would become the league's biggest expiring contract next season). This is something he would not get from Charlotte who has invested in Kemba Walker. The UConn product has delivered well and despite Lin's improvement, he would still be just a back-up to Kemba.
It would be a good scenario for the Bulls who want to play at a quicker pace and have played Jimmy Butler at the three spot extensively.