‘Linsanity’ in the Big Apple: Jeremy Lin returning to New York after agreeing Brooklyn Nets deal
Jeremy Lin is heading back to New York.
As NBA free agency began on Friday, Lin, the NBA’s first US player of Chinese heritage, agreed to a three-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets worth a reported US$36 million with a fourth-year player option. That’s after the point guard declined a US$2.2 million offer to return to Charlotte for next season.
“The journey continues... thankful for the next chapter!!” tweeted Lin with an image of himself in a Brooklyn uniform in front of the team logo. “Thank you hornets for the opportunity last year... I’ll miss you BuzzCity.”
Lin spent the next two seasons with Houston and another campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers before joining Charlotte last year.
Among the top players making rich deals in the first hours of free agency were Dwight Howard with Atlanta, Joakim Noah with the New York Knicks and DeMar DeRozan with Toronto.
Players and teams can agree to terms on deals but no official contracts can be signed until late next week, leaving only reports that teams cannot confirm.
Four-time NBA scoring champion and former NBA Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant, the most prized talent seen as up for grabs, began listening to offers on Thursday when the Oklahoma City Thunder tried to convince him to stay.
The Golden State Warriors made their pitch on Friday, led by coach Steve Kerr and NBA MVP Stephen Curry, in hopes of luring Durant to the team that won last year’s title and fell one game short this year.
Dellavedova, a reserve guard, agreed to an offer sheet with the Milwaukee Bucks worth $38.4 million over four years, ESPN reported.