The Hawks were shopping Jeremy Lin around for weeks leading up to the NBA trade deadline Thursday but ended up keeping him on the roster. Lin was aware the Hawks were trying to trade him, and he called it the point in his career at which he felt it was most likely that he was going to get moved.
The Athletic reported after the deadline had passed that the interest in Lin wasn’t as high as the Hawks anticipated it would be, and thus the veteran point guard remained on the roster. Lin said he felt there was just about a 10 percent chance he was going to get moved Thursday based on what his representation had told him.
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“I didn’t think it was a huge possibility, but I did think it was the highest in my career,” Lin said.
Atlanta could end up buying out Lin’s contract in the next few weeks before the March 1 deadline for when players are still eligible to be on postseason rosters. But the Hawks will not buy out his contract or any other player’s contract unless specifically requested to do so by the player or his representation.
That’s where Lin’s situation becomes one to monitor during the next few weeks.
Lin said he’s going to let his agent handle the potential buyout conversations. And in what could be a way to deflect giving a direct answer, he said he wasn’t aware of any talks between his agent and the organization in terms of a potential buyout.
“Until I hear otherwise, I’m committed,” Lin said. “I’m here every day, and I think we’ve been playing good. I think in the last 25 games, we’re 12-13. We’re building something. I just want to stay healthy and enjoy the game, and I’ll let my agents do their work.”
If Lin’s representation can find a team that is willing to play him more than the time he’s getting now from the Hawks, he’ll likely request a buyout. Lin has been adamant that coming off the bench isn’t his preferred role, and it never will be. That’s just his competitive nature.
“I’m going to try to do my best, though, with whatever assignment I have,” he said. “It doesn’t mean I don’t have aspirations to be a starter or to get heavy minutes or even to come off the bench and play more or be more involved. Those are all very real thoughts.”
In four of the past five games, Lin hasn’t played more than 20 minutes in each contest. Since his unbelievable November, when he shot 56 percent from the field and 48 percent from 3-point range, his production has dropped considerably. His 3-point shooting went from 48 percent in November to 20 percent in January, and he’s 1-of-7 in February. The inconsistent playing time certainly could be a factor for his drop in production and thus ended up hurting his trade value leading up to Thursday.
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Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk has said that one of the big reasons why he acquired Lin through trade in the offseason was to mentor Trae Young, and Lin has done his job there as the two have developed a strong relationship inside the locker room. Schlenk also said one of the biggest reasons why he kept veterans like Lin on the roster instead of trading them for assets that don’t meet the team’s needs is because the chemistry is so strong, and Lin is a big part of that.
But Lin will be a free agent at the end of the season, and his lack of playing time likely isn’t going to land him a lucrative offer when it comes time to sign his next contract. And when asked if he prefers to stay in Atlanta through these next few weeks before the March 1 deadline, Lin, unlike Dewayne Dedmon, who said he’ll be playing with the Hawks through the rest of the year, couldn’t answer directly.
“It’s a tough question because you’re asking me a lot of unknowns,” Lin said. “If you’re telling me, ‘Do I prefer to be here or somewhere else?’ — first off, I don’t know where that somewhere else would be and what it would look like. I can tell you that I enjoy being here. I’m playing some solid basketball. This is a career low in minutes, but I think in the time that I have been playing, I’m trying to make the most of it. I’m going to continue to try to do my best, and as long as I’m here and as long as they want me here, then I’m going to give it my best. That’s what it means to be a pro.”
(Photo of Jeremy Lin (7): Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA TODAY Sports)
