Jeremy Lin has appeared in 74 games this season, but with only three games remaining on the schedule, he may have already played his last as a member of the Lakers.
Lin has missed the team’s last two contests with a sore left knee, and with L.A. having nothing left to play for, there’s no reason for even slightly banged-up players to even bother to suit up.
From Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times:He wants to finish out the season, all three games that remain, but free agency is just over the horizon for the team’s second-highest paid player.
Lin has been in and out of the starting lineup in his only season with the Lakers, averaging 11.2 points while shooting 42.4%, numbers slightly below his career averages. ...
An MRI exam on Lin’s knee showed a cartilage abnormality that was not considered serious. The abnormality was consistent with post-surgery results from a knee procedure Lin had in 2012. He was listed as day-to-day by the team.
Scott declined to discuss Lin’s future with the Lakers, with good reason.
Byron Scott -- and hilariously, Nick Young -- have both been rough on Lin at times during this season, the worst ever in the history of the storied Lakers franchise.
It was always a long shot for Lin to return next season. The Lakers only agreed to take on his bloated salary because his contract expired after this year, and the Rockets gave L.A. a first round draft pick for doing so.
He’ll end up somewhere as a free agent on a more reasonable contract in the future, but Lin’s days with the Lakers might just have ended a few days earlier than expected.