May 2, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jeremy Lin (7) shoots over Portland Trail Blazers guard Mo Williams (25) in the first half in game six of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at the Moda Center.Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports
Lebron James going home to Cleveland has caused an avalanche of movement in the NBA especially within the Houston Rockets front office. Chris Bosh had verbally agreed to come to Houston if Lebron left Miami for Cleveland.
The only complication with Bosh coming back home to Texas was the Rockets had to clean house. Almost all of their roster would have to be purged.
Enter Jeremy Lin. He is owed $15 million this year. By trading him to the Lakers, a deal the Rockets and Lakers are working on according to Mark Stein of ESPN, the Rockets clear cap room. For the Lakers, only $8 million dollars of Lin’s $15 million goes on the salary cap even though they still have to pay Lin the full $15 million dollars.
What it means for the Lakers if they indeed get Lin is they will have a starting point guard who can get to the rim and shoot threes. Lin is an unselfish player who likes to pass the ball. He is a weak defender though and would need to be paired with a defensive minded two-guard like Lance Stephenson. Lin only has one more year left on his deal which keeps the Lakers financial flexibility in tact.
The Lakers know the Rockets are desperate and according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports the Rockets are adding a #1 pick in the deal as well.
As for their #1 target, Carmelo Anthony, ESPN is reporting that he has eliminated the Lakers and is deciding between New York and Chicago and is still torn. The good news for the Lakers on that front is that they have $22 million available for younger players who don’t dominate the ball as much as Carmelo.