The Houston Rockets are expected to trade Jeremy Lin this summer, and sources indicated that Philadelphia 76ers and the Milwaukee Bucks are interested in acquiring the four-year veteran.
Marc Stein of ESPN reported that the 76ers are willing to accept Lin and his lucrative deal as long as the Rockets will include valuable assets in the deal for the 25-year-old point.
The Rockets are looking to move Lin without absorbing any player as they are currently looking to create cap space for lucrative offers for big-name free agents like Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh.
The Rockets made a recruiting pitch to Anthony on Wednesday, while reports also indicated that they are also preparing to offer a maximum four-year deal to Bosh in case Anthony decides to sign elsewhere.
Sources indicated that the 76ers are looking for at least a future first-round pick in any deal involving Lin, who averaged 12.5 points to go along with 4.1 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game last season.
"It's believed that the Rockets would have to send Philadelphia at least one future first-round pick to convince the Sixers to go through with the deal, given that Lin is owed $15 million next season despite the fact that his contract will only count for $8.4 million for salary cap purposes," Stein wrote.
The Rockets recently struck a deal for Omer Asik, who will move to the New Orleans Pelican in exchange for a future first-round pick, and most executives are convinced that a Lin trade is next, especially if they get a verbal agreement from their free-agent targets.
Aside from the 76ers, the Milwaukee Bucks are also willing to absorb Lin's lucrative contract next season, but they also want to include one or two assets to agree to a deal.
But among the two teams, the 76ers appear as the most likely landing spot for Lin, considering the fact that general manager Sam Hinkie recently said that they are looking for trades that would make them a better team moving forward.
"We have as much cap space as anyone in the league, and if there is a move to help our program move forward, we are happy to do that," Hinkie said in a recent interview with NJ.com.
