Jeremy Lin, who one of the crowd darlings in the NBA, found himself on the move once more following a trade between the Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks. The 29-year-old played only a total of 37 in two years due to injuries.
The Brooklyn Nets had, originally, signed Lin to a three-year $36 million deal back in 2016. Before falling prey to the injury bug, the American-Asian showed he was worth every penny. However, his inability to stay healthy took its toll eventually and is believed to be one of the reasons why Nets General Manager Sean Marks was pushed to test the NBA market.
Initially, the move was received with criticism by Lin’s throng of fans. JLin7 was, undoubtedly, a favorite in Brooklyn and fans eventually lashed out at Marks, calling him a liar and a snake for allegedly betraying Lin.
Potential trade deals involving Lin had already come out in early July. Before the Hawks came into the picture, the Nets were allegedly trying to package Lin in a deal for Carmelo Anthony, according to Mitch Lawrence of Sirius XM.
The deal never gained headway but it was clear that the Nets were already trying to deal out Lin. “Linsanity” spoke to his agent about it and bared that everything was just a rumor.
“I didn’t [get a call from the Nets]. My agent called me just to clarify. But no, I don’t think there’s any truth to it,” said Lin to Lewis.
That, however, did not stop the Nets from talking to other teams. And, as most know by now, that team turned out to be the Atlanta Hawks.
Marks had already informed Lin that they were in trade talks with Atlanta and that he was involved in negotiations. By midnight, the deal was sealed.
The Nets would send Lin an unprotected 2025 second round pick and the right to swap second-round selections in 2023 with Atlanta in exchange for a 2020 second-round pick (via Portland) and the rights to French guard Isaiah Cordinier. The 21-year-old French guard was taken in by the Hawks during the 2016 NBA Draft, ESPN reported.
The deal also gave the Nets an additional $12.5 million in cap space, which may come in handy for the Nets to land a protected first-round selection in 2019 and an unprotected second rounder in 2020 (via Denver).
Marks thanked Lin for all that he has done for Brooklyn. In the end, critics understood the moves pulled by the Net GM.
For Jeremy Lin, a fan asked him if he was already in Atlanta. His reply was “not yet but my mind is."
