The roller coaster trend continues this season for Jeremy Lin, who now lost his starting job to veteran point guard Ronnie Price. As teams starting to make moves on the trading front, rumors about Lin being traded before February 19 trade deadline is escalating.
With his $8M expiring at the end of the season, Lin remains an intriguing trade target for teams despite averaging roughly 10 points and 4 assists per outing.
After being traded by the Houston Rockets along with a first-round pick to Los Angeles, the former Harvard standout came into the season with high expectation of reviving his career.
Unfortunately, Lin's development hit another big wall and the blame is being hurled towards Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, who is having the highest usage rate in his career at age 36.
The decision of Lakers head coach Byron Scott to pull Lin out of the starting lineup to give Price a 10-game starting audition also didn't help, as Lin's production plummeted further as his playing time declines.
"The Miami Heat are also struggling in this year, in the wake of Lebron James' return to Cleveland. But even though the Heat are waddling along at 14-16, they still hold the seventh overall seed in the East and maintain a realistic shot a playoff position," according to the Inquistr.
Lin to South Beach?
With LeBron James now back with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat's offense really took a big hit this season. The Heat currently ranked 27th in the league in assists per game as playmakers Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole, and rookie Shabazz Napier still couldn't fill the big hole left void by James, who averaged at least 7 assists over four seasons with the Heat.
According to Inquistr, the Heat could be interested in trading for Lin to give them a better playmaker in the backcourt. Norris Cole, who will become a restricted free-agent next season, could become a possible trade chip for the Heat to acquire Lin, who is averaging 4.8 assists over his four-year career.
Giving Lin the freedom to control the ball would allow superstar shooting guard Dwyane Wade more opportunities to attack the lane rather than spending too much energy in orchestrating the offense.
"Lin leads the Lakers in assists, with 138, despite playing much of the season alongside Kobe Bryant who dominates possession of the ball, taking 22.4 shots per game. The Heat, on the other hand, rank 27th out of the 30 NBA teams in assists - making Lin a potentially desirable target."
