The Oklahoma City Thunder wants to add Jeremy Lin to their roster, even though he is currently trying to work together cohesively with Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Los Angeles Lakers team on the basketball court.
According to a report from Damon Salvadore of the Latino Post, the Lakers have a 1-8 record, the worst in the Western Conference. He thinks that a trade of the 26-year-old point guard may the best option at this point in the 2014-15 NBA season.
"Lin only has one year remaining on his contract, and the Lakers don't appear to be going anywhere this year even though they are healthy and Kobe Bryant is leading the NBA in scoring," Salvadore wrote.
A report from Larry Seely of Digital Journal added that Lin and Bryant haven't played well together in Los Angeles. Although Bryant wants Lin to be more assertive in his gameplay, the advice may not have worked so far because the Lakers have won only one game this season.
A report from Travelers Today surmises that although Steve Nash's injury may have allowed Lin to shine, his performance has been considered less than stellar by some basketball critics. Lin may have all the tools and capability of being a big-time star in the NBA, but Travelers Today noted that the Lakers "are not known for being patient" and still might consider him as "a diamond in the rough that needs more polishing in his game."
The Thunder isn't doing well either in an extremely competitive Western Conference dominated by rivals such as the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, and current champions San Antonio Spurs; the team has a 3-7 record so far this season. In addition, several players on its roster have been battling injuries, including star players Kevin Durant with a foot fracture and Russell Westbrook with a right hand fracture.
Because their injuries will take time to heal, Salvadore thinks that it could be a viable option for the Thunder to get Lin on their roster this season.
"The Thunder can basically use Lin as a 'rental player' as he becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season," Salvadore wrote. "Lin probably isn't the long term solution in Oklahoma City, but for this season, the Thunder may want to explore this option."
Seely suggests that moving Lin to Oklahoma City could help the Thunder better perform in the back court. In addition, he noted that it would allow the Lakers to move a big contract and land top-ranked help before next year.
"With so many distractions on and off the court, general manager Mitch Kupchak has his work cut out in trying to rebuild the storied [Lakers] franchise," Seely wrote. "But moving Lin and landing some free agent help next summer could be just what this squad needs to get back as a top team in the Western Conference in 2015."
Whatever team Lin ends up playing for in the NBA, Salvadore notes that Lin's current contract with the Lakers will let the basketball player make $14.9 million this season.
