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Brooklyn Nets: Trading Jeremy Lin should become a priority

By Chris Milholen

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - OCTOBER 18: Jeremy Lin #7 of the Brooklyn Nets drives to the basket against the Indiana Pacers on October 18, 2017 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - OCTOBER 18: Jeremy Lin #7 of the Brooklyn Nets drives to the basket against the Indiana Pacers on October 18, 2017 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Now that the free agency frenzy has calmed down, the Brooklyn Nets should focus on trading Jeremy Lin to increase their cap space.

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks made two free agent agreements on Day 1 of the new NBA league year.

The good thing for Brooklyn is neither deal will affect the Nets estimated $8.7 million cap space due to early Bird rights on Joe Harris and allocating the bi-annual exception on Ed Davis.

Jeremy Lin arrived in Brooklyn on July 7, 2016. The point guard signed a three-year deal worth $36 million. His two years in Brooklyn have not been an easy ride.

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Lin has only played in 37 games over the past two seasons for Brooklyn. In 2016-17, Lin was sidelined for the final 46 games with a left hamstring injury and in the Nets’ season opener last season, he tore his right patellar tendon in the closing minutes of the game.

In a nutshell, Lin has only played 37 games entering his final year on his contract. It is not his fault that he has only played 37 games but considering he missed a total of 127 games, he can be considered a salary dump.

Now, trading Lin is not as easy as it sounds. The Nets point guard opted into his player option shortly after the 2017-18 season. This means Brooklyn owes him $12,516,746 next season. That is a big price to pay for a player who has only played 37 games over the past two seasons.

To go along with the price tag, he will be turning 30 in August.

Why the Brooklyn Nets should trade Lin

The primary reason to trade Lin is his cost at his position. Brooklyn is a team that is filled with guards who can play both point and shooting guard.

If you want to just focus on the point guard position, there are two guards ahead of Lin in the rotation; D’Angelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie. To go on top of the rotation, Lin is the highest-paid out of all three Nets guards next season, per Early Bird Rights.

  • Jeremy Lin: $12,516,746
  • D’Angelo Russell: $8,000,000
  • Spencer Dinwiddie: $1,656,092

Considering all the information above, it is a no-brainer for Marks and the Nets to pursue shopping Lin. If the Nets do successfully trade Lin, they could free up a little more than $12 million more under the cap.

Because Brooklyn is under the cap, they can trade Lin for draft picks and not take any existing contracts in return. This would raise Brooklyn’s 2018-19 cap space to an estimated $20 million to $21 million.

Who would trade for Lin?

Jeremy Lin has never had a stable market during his eight-year NBA tenure. Lin has bounced around a lot, being a part of six NBA teams, two G-League teams and a very short tenure with the Dongguan Leopards in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Despite his rocky NBA tenure, he has been quite well situated with Brooklyn. Although he has not played, he likes where he is and highly respects the Brooklyn Nets. According to Net Income of NetsDaily, Lin highly respects the Nets for their respect and help during his rehab this off-season.

"I know I am blessed so much,. The Nets have supported me so much. For my rehab in Vancouver, the car, accommodations, air fare, advanced rehab therapeutics were all paid by the Nets."

Now, let’s get into who would want Lin. The 6-foot-3 point guard can fit as a good backup option for NBA contending teams especially Western Conference contenders.

The Western Conference is filled with talented teams and a new showtime Lakers squad. Many teams in the Western Conference have good odds to win the NBA championship for the 2018-19 season, according to Covers.

Teams like the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and even the Utah Jazz would be potential trade destinations for Lin.

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    • In the Eastern Conference, same goes. Contenders would consider adding Lin to increase their backcourt depth and guard experience. Lin would be a good addition to teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Philadelphia 76ers or the Milwaukee Bucks.

    Now, the main question is what is Lin worth?

    Lin’s market value

    Lin does not have a great market value to begin with. Due to his injury-prone past and his cap hit this season, that will also play a huge role in what the Nets can get in return.

    Marks does not need to desperately shop Lin. He can take a conservative approach and take his time with the trade.

    Marks and Brooklyn should not trade Lin for less than a first-round pick. Even though his salary is high for a player who has played 37 games over the past two seasons, when healthy Lin is an all-around point guard.

    The Nets are not in a position to invest a lot of their cap on one player. They are patching up their rebuilding efforts and should focus on signing a star in 2019.

    Next: Breaking down Nets Summer League roster

    The Brooklyn Nets are on target to have two max contract spots in 2019, even after the Dwight Howard buyout becomes official on July 6.