Outside of Mike Conley, Jeremy Lin is arguably the most attractive free agent available at the point guard position. He’s going to have plenty of suitors after a resurgent year with the Hornets, and he said over the weekend that he’s going to listen to all offers.
Via ESPN.com:“I’ve played 6 years, in the NBA, I’ve played on five different teams. I’ve played for two D-League teams -- so seven cities in six years. I’m tired of boxes, I’m tired of moving companies and I want to find a home,” Lin said in an interview with the World Economic Forum over the weekend.
“I want to see how good I can become,” Lin said in the World Economic Forum interview. “I’m 27 and an athlete’s prime, or at least in the NBA, your prime is usually 27-30. That’s when you kind of peak physically (and) mentally and that’s where most players perform their best. So I’m going into my prime and I want to see how great I can be as a player and that’s my purpose in free agency so I’ll just exhaust every opportunity to see which one will be the best for me.”Lin has bounced around the league since his explosion in New York in 2012. He spent two seasons in Houston, followed by one with the Lakers and one in Charlotte. He recently told the Charlotte Observer that he enjoyed his season with the Hornets and would love to return:
“This is the most fun I’ve had in my six years” in the NBA, Lin said. “Being around a great group of guys and a coaching staff that really cares. I’ve learned so much about the game of basketball, particularly at the defensive end.”
“My biggest thing is I want to have fun and be happy,” he said. “I’ve been paid on the lower end and had a blast, and I’ve been paid on the higher end and not enjoyed it at all.
“Honestly, money has never been the most important thing. Money is important because it shows how a team values you. But beyond that I don’t care all that much about money. Me coming here (for slightly more than $2 million a season) showed that.”
Lin said the chemistry the Hornets developed this season was special and rarer than fans might realize.
“I definitely want to play with these guys and this coach,” Lin said, referring to Steve Clifford. “When you bounce around a lot the way I have, seeing a lot of organizations, there’s a lot about this one that I can appreciate in terms of my experience, that maybe I didn’t have in other situations.”If the Hornets are willing to pony up the money (Lin should command upwards of $10 million per year in this market), they wold appear to be the leaders in the clubhouse to sign him. But with the amount of money flying around and Charlotte also having to make big free-agent decisions on Nicolas Batum, Courtney Lee, Marvin Williams and Al Jefferson, somebody will have to be the odd man out.