Lin’s Return To Knicks Not A Slam Dunk

Jeremy Lin's agent Roger Montgomery spoke with the New York Post about his client's future and stated that a return to the Knicks is not a guarantee, writes Marc Berman. Lin is set to become a restricted free agent on July 1 which allows for the Knicks to match any offer made by another team to retain Lin's services. When asked about whether he thought negotiations with the Knicks would be a simple process this summer, Montgomery expressed his concern that getting Lin a new contract would be a drawn out endeavor. 

"I don’t expect that. We’re not anticipating that’s going to happen. We don’t have assurances of anything. I know history shows most restricted free agents go back to their team, but I’m not going to assume anything. We’re waiting to see what happens."

Montgomery's goal as an agent is to create buzz that Lin may not re-sign with the Knicks so that other teams provide his client with a robust offer sheet. While the Knicks have the opportunity to match any offer sheet, they may face luxury tax issues during the third and fourth years of the contract if other teams make him a large offer (up to $15MM per season). If this is the case, the Knicks will have to determine if the money received from Lin-related merchandise sales will outweigh the luxury tax the franchise will surely have to pay if the former Harvard star is presented with a back-loaded offer sheet.

Look for Toronto to make Lin an impressive offer as the team is in search of a young point guard who will bring buzz to the beleaguered franchise in a city with a large Chinese population. Lin made $765K during the 2011/2012 season in which he averaged 14.6 points per game and 6.2 assists per game in 35 games with the Knicks. For more on Lin, check out Hoops Rumors' Free Agent Stock Watch series where we analyze the star point guard's prognosis for free agency this summer.