In their trade for Marc Gasol, the Raptors surrendered Delon Wright, leaving them only Kyle Lowry (an All-Star) and Fred VanVleet (one of the NBA’s best backups) as point guards on standard contracts.
Enter Jeremy Lin.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Jeremy Lin is finalizing a buyout with Atlanta, clearing the way for him to sign with Toronto, agents Jim Tanner and Roger Montgomery tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 11, 2019
Toronto frequently uses two-point guard lineups. So, there should be plenty of room for Lin to contribute.
He and Hawks had been playing better lately, but Atlanta is focused on rebuilding. So, this isn’t a big loss as much as it shows a lost opportunity.
Lin will likely follow the footsteps of Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova, who got bought out by the Hawks last season then helped a playoff team (76ers). It’s not ideal for Atlanta to keep losing solid veterans for no return, but the trade deadline has passed. Might as well let Lin go where he wants at this point. Also maybe find a trade next time.
But this is good for the Raptors, good for Lin and – because of that – good for the Hawks’ reputation among players and agents.