Free agent guard Jeremy Lin is moving on from Hollywood and joining the Charlotte Hornets.
Lin broke the news himself on various social media platforms late Wednesday night, reportedly coming to terms on a two-year, $4 million deal.
— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) July 9, 2015
Jeremy Lin's deal with the Charlotte Hornets will be two-years, $4M-plus, league source tells Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 9, 2015
Coming off a frustrating, at times surreal season with the Lakers, Lin is clearly pumped for a fresh start in Charlotte.
The 26-year-old posted averages of 11.2 points and 4.6 assists in 74 games for an abominable (21-61) Laker squad.
Per the LA Daily News:
Despite showing relative improvement throughout the 2014-15 season, Lin often expressed feeling uncomfortable with both a fluctuating starting and bench role as well as Byron Scott’s Princeton-based offense. Lin often lamented how the system put less emphasis on pick-and-rolls, and that how the team ran it hurt its floor spacing. It did not help that Lin lost his starting job after 19 games in favor of Ronnie Price. Lin then start another starting role in late January in favor of rookie Jordan Clarkson.
Lin also attracted interest from Dallas, Memphis, Indiana, Chicago, San Antonio and the Clippers. Although the Lakers also contacted Lin after the free agency period began on July 1, both sides appeared skeptical about extending their reunion.
Lin often spoke in glowing terms about Kobe Bryant’s basketball expertise and willingness to mentor. But Lin admitted struggling with sharing ball-handling duties and adjusting to his high volume shooting. Although the Lakers’ star initially praised Lin’s hunger and potential, Bryant eventually became frustrated with Lin’s inconsistency that he believed stemmed from passivity and overthinking. The likelihood of the Lakers retaining Lin seemed more slim after selecting Ohio State point guard D’Angelo Russell with the No. 2 pick of the 2015 NBA Draft.
