Jeremy Lin's value has been slowly increasing throughout the season and in the playoffs as he has truly found his stride with the Houston Rockets. The point guard has been on fire the past few games even when the team has lost. The spark in on-the-court productivity can really only mean one thing, trade rumors. With Lin's value high and one year left on his contract, could he be on the move?
The Rocket's Game 6 win came thanks to Lin and Dwight Howard. While James Harden was 5-oof-15 shooting, Lin came off the bench with 21 points and a few deep threes that made up for the lack of scoring from other players on the roster. Right now Lin is one of the most important members of the Rockets, but as the team eyes a few free agents, he could be on the move.
ESPNNewYork.com reports the Rockets believe they are a realistic landing spot for Anthony in free agency. The guard plans on opting out of his contract and testing the market. He has his sights set on a winning team which is something Houston is and could become with the addition of Anthony. However, there are a few road blocks that could hurt that idea.
The first is whether or not Anthony would be willing to share the court with another top scorer in Harden. The guard is not exactly a pass-first type of player and will he be willing to give up some stats in order to have a functioning offense. The other is money. Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com reports that the financial structure of teams makes it hard to have two max players on the pay role and still be able to put enough quality talent together to win. Someone would have to get traded or cut while Anthony would have to take a pay cut to make it work.
This is where Lin comes in. NBA Insider Marc Stein reports that the Knicks could favor a sign-and-trade type of deal involving Anthony in order to receive something in return. The idea was brought up about a deal with the Chicago Bulls, but it could also work with the Rockets. The Knicks had some interest in Lin during the trading period, but never finalized a deal to bring him back. Could the team orchestrate a sign-and-trade involving Anthony and Lin?
The teams could not do a simply player swap. Financially it would not add up. The Rockets could throw in someone like Omer Asik who has been begging for a new team since the arrival of Dwight Howard. With Tyson Chandler and Amar'e Stoudemire on the fence about returning, Asik would be a worthy addition. It is all speculation right now. Lin will continue to hear his name in trade rumors throughout the offseason. The Rockets have never been fully invested in the point guard and as his stock rises, so could a deal.
