Jeremy Lin NBA Trade Rumors: New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers Express Interest

By Isaiah Narciso
Jeremy Lin
Los Angeles Lakers guard Jeremy Lin (17) against the Phoenix Suns during the home opener at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

NBA All-Star Jeremy Lin is currently a free agent, and various teams have expressed interest in recruiting him for the 2015-2016 season. They include the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers, which are both teams Lin has played in during his NBA career.

According to Josh Hill of Fansided, the Knicks have expressed interesting in bringing Lin back on their team with a contract. The Harvard graduate first rose to NBA fame playing for the Knicks in 2012 in a phenomenon known as "Linsanity."

"Linsanity returning to New York could be interesting, but it's not something that fixes everything that is wrong about them," Hill wrote. "He's a supplementary signing if anything at all, and the Knicks can't use him as a headline acquisition."

Hill thought that the Knicks "are looking less talented than a D-League team" nowadays as opposed to when Lin was on their roster. However, both the Houston Rockets and Lakers were unable to cash in on the craze surrounding Linsanity.

"If Lin is coming back to New York, he's going to be notable but will have to play his way back into relevancy," Hill wrote. "New York isn't the place you go to redeem your career, but for Lin, going full circle might be what he needs to rejuvenate things."

Despite the fact that Lin and Los Angeles haven't always gotten along together due to lackluster performance from both sides, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News reported that the Lakers still expressed interest in signing him again on Tuesday. Medina elaborated on Lin's struggles during his time with the Lakers.

"Although he experienced relative improvement throughout the 2014-15 season, Lin felt uncomfortable under Byron Scott's offensive system that put less emphasis on pick-and-rolls," Medina wrote. "He initially struggled sharing ball-handling duties."

Medina added that Lin first lost his starting spot to veteran Ronnie Price after 19 games. He then lost it for good in January to rookie guard Jordan Clarkson.

"The odds of Lin returning to the Lakers appeared even more unlikely after selection Ohio State point guard D'Angelo Russell with the No. 2 pick of the 2015 NBA Draft," Medina wrote. "That would cement Lin as a third-string point guard."

According to Medina, Lin considered it a priority to join a team where he both played a significant role and felt comfortable in the offense.

"Lin averaged 11.2 points on 42.4 percent shooting, 4.6 assists and 2.2 turnovers through 74 games, numbers that nearly mirrored his career average through five NBA seasons," Medina wrote.

According to Medina, other NBA teams that wanted Lin on their roster included the Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs.