JULY 13: The trade is now official, according to a pair of press releases issued by the Nets and Hawks. Atlanta receives Lin, Brooklyn’s 2025 second-round pick, and the right to swap 2023 second-rounders with the Nets in exchange for Cordinier and a heavily-protected 2020 second-rounder, as detailed below.
[RELATED: Cap implications of the trade for Nets, Hawks]
JULY 12: The Nets have agreed to a trade that will send Jeremy Lin to the Hawks, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal will allow Brooklyn to clear the cap space necessary to take on a pair of expiring contracts from the Nuggets in another deal.
According to Wojnarowski, the Nets will receive Portland 2020’s second-round pick (top-55 protected) and the rights to 2016 draft-and-stash second-rounder Isaia Cordinier in the trade.
In addition to Lin, the Hawks will acquire a 2025 second-round pick and the right to swap picks with the Nets in 2023, Woj adds. His report doesn’t mention anything about first-round picks, so we’ll assume for now that the ’23 pick swap applies to second-rounders.
For the Hawks, adding Lin will mean further bolstering a point guard depth chart that already features leading scorer Dennis Schroder and fifth overall pick Trae Young. Schroder has been frequently cited as a potential trade candidate and Young’s performance in Summer League action has been up and down, so Lin could provide some added stability at the position. His presence also could expedite a Schroder trade, as Wojnarowski reports.
Of course, it may be premature to pencil in Lin for 25-30 minutes per game for the upcoming season, since he’s coming off a major knee injury. The veteran point guard admitted recently that he has yet to play 5-on-5 ball, but fully expects to be ready for training camp. The Hawks plan to keep him, tweets David Aldridge of TNT.
As we detailed earlier today, the Hawks had upwards of $18MM in cap room available, with the flexibility to increase that number to nearly $24MM by renouncing free agents and waiving non-guaranteed players. No additional moves will be required in order to absorb Lin’s $12.5MM expiring contract using their current cap space.
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter), Lin also had a 10% trade kicker, so if he doesn’t waive it as part of the deal, the Nets would pay that $1.25MM bonus and the 29-year-old’s cap hit would increase to $13.75MM.
General manager Travis Schlenk had said that the Hawks didn’t expect to pursue major free agents, noting that the team’s “free agency is going to be trades.” The acquisition of Lin reflects that plan, though it’s still a somewhat surprising move. Given where the Hawks are in their rebuilding process, it would have made more sense to me if Atlanta had used its cap room to take on the Nuggets’ unwanted contracts and acquired a pair of picks in the process.
That’s exactly what the Nets will do with their newly-created cap room after moving Lin. As we detail in a separate story, shedding Lin’s salary will allow Brooklyn to take on Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur from Denver. The Nets will receive a first-round pick and a second-round pick from the Nuggets for their troubles.
Meanwhile, the Nets should still have plenty of depth in their backcourt heading into the 2018/19 season, with Spencer Dinwiddie and D’Angelo Russell capable of handling point guard duties.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Veteran insurance for when/if Schroder gets moved. Obviously Trae Young is the future at the PG spot there but Lin at least gives them a veteran guard to handle some of the load and/or mentor Young.
This lets the Nets continue to give the reigns to Russell, Lavert, and Dinwiddie. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Atlanta buy out Lin. They have Schroder, Bazemore, Tyler Dorsey, Bembry, and Young at those spots that need minutes. If he does get bought out, I think he would fit in OKC if they’re willing to spend some money on a minimum deal
Well now ATL can flip Lin’s expiring deal in another salary dump. I think the trade kicker puts him in Deng or Noah range, which could set up a return to NYK. Just a thought.
The return of Linsanity? Not bad ideas but I don’t see the Knicks making that move. The Lakers I could see since it would clear more space for next summer and they would probably be willing to move a future pick. I don’t see the Knicks since I doubt they would want to attach a first round pick to Noah. They’d be better off just buying Noah out at that point.
I think it’s unlikely but it’s definitely fun to think about. I just don’t get why everyone is bashing them because they can just trade Lin’s salary now instead of absorbing it and they got more picks.
Hawks have really bolstered their guard position this offseason as far bench depth goes and with the addition of Young if he pans out.
Schlenk wants to see some GSW-style action. He did not give up much for Lin, just the salary really.
I think is a good move from Atlanta, maybe they could have gotten more in picks, but at least they get a guy to back up Young. I think if they move Schroeder he stays, if they don’t then he will be moved, at least if he stays can be the second best guard in the team, they really only have Young of any quality in the 2 positions of guard, so it seems a win-win situation for Atlanta. I suspect that’s why they haven’t gotten a 1st round pick, because they actually will need/use Lin.
Still don’t understand why Atlanta didn’t pull the trigger for the Nuggets move. They were set up perfectly to absorb exactly what the Nets ended up with… and by acquiring Lin (with no real extras added in), we further facilitated the trade… Am I missing something?
You’re not missing anything, this makes zero sense for a team that’s in “asset collection” mode. The pick swaps have to be first rounders or this is pointless.
Well they got two picks for Lin, and now they can take on a two year deal with picks for Lin, and that’ll be a guaranteed first rounder plus a second at least, and then when it gets to next year, THAT deal will be expiring, and they can just repeat the process. It doesn’t make sense if they hold onto Lin and Schroder, but I mean they might as well take Lin for the picks and then just use his salary to match in another trade anyways.
With the additional roster spots and two-way contracts, second round picks are more valuable than they’ve ever been. To boot, early second round picks are usually guys who had a first round grade and slipped for whatever reason (attitude, positional need, perceived weakness) so teams are usually getting good value for those guys if they pan out (which is a big if).
I would guess the Hawks had no knowledge of the Nuggets/Nets deal. Note that it was never a three team trade so they weren’t involved with the Nuggets FO. Sean Marks and his staff set-up a savvy move to have them happen simultaneously. The Hawks should have been looking for opportunity like the Nuggets deal. The Hawks next move could be Lin for deng (ironic if happens because of the Ferry incident) or anderson deal would bring back 1st rounders.
Nobody had to look for the Nuggets deal. They put Chandler, Faried and Arthur to every team with cap space or a TPE since before the draft, and at the price points they did the deals.
Linsanity! Never for get it
2025? So that player is in middle school right now.
why does it feel like the Hawks got Lin for Nothing?
Looked worse with some of the dressing, and by what the Nets did, but, standalone, Atlanta got about what they should for taking Lin and his 12 mm expiring contract into cap space. Philly did a bit better taking Wilson Chandler (also expiring 12 mm deal), but similar, a 2nd and a swap of 2nds. Just the pick Philly got will vest in the lifetime of most of its current FO.
This is a mistake