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Jeremy Lin Agrees To 3-Year Deal With The Brooklyn Nets

By Gerald Bourguet

Mar 22, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin (7) reacts after a three point shot against the Brooklyn Nets during second half at Barclays Center. The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Brooklyn Nets 105-100.Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 22, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin (7) reacts after a three point shot against the Brooklyn Nets during second half at Barclays Center. The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Brooklyn Nets 105-100.Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Brooklyn Nets have agreed to a three-year bargain deal with Jeremy Lin. Here are the details of the agreement and what it means for both sides.

With a shortage of quality point guards in the 2016 NBA free agency class, the talent-starved Brooklyn Nets got their first substantial victory under new general manager Sean Marks. That’s right, folks. Linsanity is back in New York!

As first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, Jeremy Lin has agreed to a three-year, $36 million contract with the Nets.

Per Woj, the deal includes bonuses, a trade kicker and a player option on the third year.

As the No. 1 option among our best free agency fits for Jeremy Lin, the Brooklyn Nets will give their new journeyman point guard and global sensation the opportunity to do something he’s been wanting to do for years now: lead his own team as the starting point guard.

After trading Thaddeus Young to the Indiana Pacers for the 20th overall pick in this year’s draft (used on Michigan combo guard Caris LeVert), the Nets were almost completely devoid of talent other than Brook Lopez.

They had a few young prospects like Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Chris McCullough, sure, but after trading away their second-best player, it was looking like another miserable season for a very bad team that will probably be swapping its first round pick with the Boston Celtics next year.

The arrival of Lin doesn’t completely change that gloomy draft scenario, but it does make Brook-Lin a more interesting team to watch in 2016-17.

After failing to trade and subsequently waiving Jarrett Jack (who had a not-so-classy response to the news of Lin’s signing), the Nets needed to splurge some of their immense cap space on a point guard. Short of Mike Conley, Lin represented quite possibly the best free agent point guard on the market, and the Nets nabbed him for a bargain price of $12 million a year.

Not only did this prevent the Nets from committing long-term money to a guy like Rajon Rondo, but Lin’s deal will only represent 12.8 percent of the salary cap next season (equivalent to $8.9 million under last year’s cap) and 10.9 percent in 2017-18 (equivalent to $7.6 million under last year’s cap).

Coming off one of the best seasons of his career as the backup point guard of the Charlotte Hornets, Lin only averaged 11.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game on 41.2 percent shooting from the field and 33.6 percent shooting from three-point range.

That being said, Linsanity was back in full force last season for the first time since he first exploded onto the scene in New York back in 2011-12. Playing behind Kemba Walker, Lin’s Per 36 Minutes numbers were as high as they’d been since his peak with the Knicks:

  • Knicks Per 36 Minutes:  19.6 points, 8.3 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals
  • Hornets Per 36 Minutes:  16.1 points, 4.1 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 1.0 steals

Considering that he also thrived playing alongside Walker in the backcourt and averaged 17.5 points and 4.8 assists in 17 starts last season, it’s safe to say that in Charlotte, Lin found a true niche in the league for the first time since the beginning days of Linsanity.

He was also one of the league’s most underrated sixth men and an absolute steal on a $2.1 million salary. After vastly outplaying his contract (and taking the NBA’s massive salary cap jump into account), it was no surprise for Lin to opt out of the final year of his contract ($2.2 million) to become a free agent.

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    • In Brooklyn, Lin will get a well-deserved raise (though his agent really could have pushed for more), while the Nets will enjoy a guard who can play in the pick-and-roll with Lopez or alongside another guard like the injury-prone rookie LeVert.

    This move raises Brooklyn’s talent level in a necessary way. The Nets won’t own their own first round pick for the next two years, so there’s little reason for them to tank.

    Bearing that in mind, adding a global, marketable star like Lin to a position of need just makes too much sense. The Nets had to use their cap space somewhere; spending a small chunk of it on a popular worldwide icon is a great move with the added bonus of pissing off the New York Knicks at the same time.

    Another potential X-factor in this deal: new Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson was an assistant for the Knicks during Lin’s rise to prominence five years ago. Lin even credits Atkinson with helping developing him into the star he became in New York, so a reunion here makes perfect sense.

    More hoops habit: Jeremy Lin: 5 Best Free Agency Fits

    Jeremy Lin won’t make the Nets anything close to a playoff team, but he’ll get his opportunity to start in a major market, he’ll get to run the show, he’s finally gotten paid and he’s reuniting with a coach he respects. For both parties, this seems like a no-brainer.

    Get ready for Brook-Linsanity, everyone.

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