MONDAY, 8:26am: Lin is likely to end up in Dallas, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link), though it’s unclear whether he’s likely to come via sign-and-trade, a straight signing, or either.
SUNDAY, 5:47pm: The Mavericks are engaging with the Lakers on sign-and-trade options for free agent Jeremy Lin, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The Mavs are low on space to sign Lin to a market-level contract, Wojnarowski adds.
In a full story, Wojnarowski writes, that Lin, according to league sources, sees the Mavs as the best opportunity to reignite his career, especially with a chance to become the starting point guard. Dallas is already set to add DeAndre Jordan and Wes Matthews. Lin, Wojnarowski adds, has a strong chance to thrive in the pick-and-roll with Jordan.
The Lakers have a cap hold of $12.6MM for Lin, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets, and thus this allows for a sign-and-trade to Dallas, as long as Roy Hibbert and Lou Williams, who both are set to be acquired, still fit. Of course, the Lakers would be interested in gaining something in return, and Pincus speculates (Twitter link) that could come in the form of a three-way deal involving the Pacers. In theory, the Lakers could get a first-round pick from the Pacers for sending Lin to the Mavs, with Dallas sending Indiana draft considerations, according to Pincus, who described such a deal as “a stretch.”
Lin reportedly has been considering the Mavs even though he could likely command a higher salary elsewhere. That’s because he wants to play for a playoff-caliber team and he remains good friends with Chandler Parsons from their days as teammates in Houston.
How can it be a straight signing if the Macs only have a little bit of money