Jeremy Lin is heading North. Lin, the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese decent to play in the NBA, is finalizing a buyout agreement with the Atlanta Hawks that would allow the 30-year-old point guard to sign with the Toronto Raptors.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that the Atlanta Hawks is in the process of negotiating a buyout with Jeremy Lin. Lin, an undrafted point guard out of Harvard, played in 51 games for the Hawks and averaged 10.7 points and 3.5 assists a game.
Jeremy Lin is finalizing a buyout with Atlanta, clearing the way for him to sign with Toronto, agents Jim Tanner and Roger Montgomery tell ESPN. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 11, 2019
The Toronto Raptors will be Jeremy Lin's 8th team in 9 NBA seasons. Lin, the man responsible for the global craze known as Linsanity, has career averages of 11.8 points and 4.4 assists. Lin has also appeared in 17 playoff games and averaged 10.1 points and 3.1 assists.
Lin has had a solid career despite being undrafted. He has proven that he isn't just a one-hit wonder, and has since shown that he truly belongs in the NBA despite being hit with injuries the past few years. He would be a solid addition to the Toronto Raptors' rotation.
The Raptors, perhaps mindful of how their main rivals in the East have gotten stronger after the trade deadline, is in dire need of warm bodies. Toronto traded away five players to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for the former All-Star Marc Gasol.
Now with both Gasol and Lin in the fold, the Toronto Raptors, at least on paper, have one of the deepest rosters in the Eastern. Lin will share point guard duties with Lowry and VanVleet. Incidentally, both the incumbent Raptor guards have been battling injuries throughout the season which almost ensure that Lin would get his minutes.
Toronto is also reportedly signing Ben McLemore to a 10-day contract. The Raptors' roster now has 14 players with the addition of Gasol, Lin and McLemore, and the recent signing of Malcolm Miller and Chris Boucher.
The Raptors is currently sitting second in the East and is only trailing the Milwaukee Bucks for the top spot. The Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers, another Eastern Conference rival, have also gotten stronger after the trade deadline.
The Bucks added sweet-shooting forward Nikola Mirotic to complement the All-Star duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. The 76ers meanwhile snagged the All-Star caliber forward Tobias Harris from the LA Clippers.
Things have just gotten more interesting in the East. And with Jeremy Lin joining the Toronto Raptors early in this year's buyout season may mean that more franchise-altering moves are coming.
There is no denying that the race for supremacy in the East has just gotten more exciting. The top teams in the Eastern Conference bolstered their rosters by snagging key additions to shore up their weaknesses. And now that the Toronto Raptors have added Marc Gasol and Jeremy Lin, things will start to heat up as NBA teams start the final battles for playoff positioning.
