NBA Rumors: Philadelphia 76ers Sign Jeremy Lin to One-Year Deal; Linsanity Mentors Ben Simmons, Jahlil Okafor

By Mitch de Leon
Jeremy Lin
Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin (7) during a time out in the first half of the game against the Boston Celtics at Time Warner Cable Arena. Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

The Jeremy Lin free agency train appears to have found its next stop. Reports are surfacing that the Linsanity will be donning a Philadelphia 76ers uniform in the next NBA season. With teams like the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors pitching an attractive contract to lure the Asian basketball star, the promise of becoming a mentor to budding NBA players seem to have won Lin over. That is, the next NBA season might see Jeremy Lin play big brother to Jahlil Okafor and rookie Ben Simmons.

The NBA Draft 2016 is filled with speculations. While the Philadelphia 76ers have yet to officially ink the deal with Ben Simmons, rumors are rife that the Australian sensation will sign with Nerlens Noel and Joel Imbiid soon. Meanwhile, the speculations on the future of soon-to-be second-year NBA star Jahlil Okafor are rampant. While the Philadelphia 76ers are eager to sign Simmons, it looks like the same could not be said regarding Okafor.

"We would like to, and I've been pretty consistent about that," said Bryan Colangelo regarding the possibility of trading players to obtain a top eight draft pick. The exec added, "If it becomes available we'll certainly do that. We've kind of identified about 6 or 7 players that we would like to see [in Philadelphia]."

With this in mind, the Philadelphia 76ers are said to be looking into tossing in Jahlil Okafor and another veteran for a higher draft pick. While none of the plans are officially confirmed, it comes as no surprise that the young star is slowly becoming frustrated. As a newbie in the NBA, the idea of your first to seen you as a liability could be devastating - a feeling that turned a number of promising NBA stars into draft busts. This is where Jeremy Lin can come in.

Throughout the NBA 2015-16 season, the Linsanity has played second fiddle to Courtney Lee. Prior to that, the Linsanity was just backup to Kemba Walker despite carrying the Charlotte Hornets to the 2016 NBA playoffs with his remarkable performances against the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. In this sense, both Lin and Okafor can relate with each other.

In the first year of Okafor in the NBA, he also struggled to find his place in the Philadelphia 76ers roster. Chosen as the third overall draft pick and the number one choice for the Ish Smiths squad, the former Duke star had to make do with limited minutes due to the presence of two NBA stars playing the same position in the roster - Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid. With almost similar experiences and frustrations as Jeremy Lin, the Philadelphia 76ers reportedly believe that the Linsanity will be able to guide Okafor into becoming a versatile player in the hardwood court. In that manner, the center will no longer have to be wary of losing minutes to Embiid or Noel.

What do you think? Will Jeremy Lin be the answer to the Jahlil Okafor crisis of the Philadelphia 76ers? Will the Linsanity be the best mentor for incoming rookie Ben Simmons?

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