The Houston Rockets officially delivered an offer sheet signed by point guard Jeremy Lin to the New York Knicks late Saturday night. The offer sheet Lin signed is reportedly for a three-year deal worth $25 million, with Lin getting $5 million the first year, $5.2 million the second and $14.9 million the third year, according to The New York Times.
From the time the offer sheet was delivered to the Knicks, they have three days to match it, giving Lin the same figures and bringing him back to New York, or decline it, in which case Lin would return to the Rockets, where he played in two pre-season games last year before being released and singing with the Knicks.
Most expected the Knicks to match any offer for Lin, with Coach Mike Woodson even telling the Times the Knicks would match Houston’s offer. Original reports of the offer sheet had Lin signing a four-year deal and making the same figures the first two years and a little more than $9 million in the third and fourth years. But with the Rockets upping the last year of the deal to nearly $15 million for one year, it seems like the Knicks might have some reservations about brining Lin back.
Late Saturday night, the Knicks agreed to send Dan Gadzuric and Jared Jeffries to the Portland Trail Blazers in a sign-and-trade for point guard Raymond Felton, who was on the Knicks for part of the 2010 season before being included in the Carmelo Anthony trade. Also returning to the Knicks in the deal is Kurt Thomas, the 39-year-old power forward who played for the Knicks from 1998-2005.
Earlier in the off-season, the Knicks signed point guard Jason Kidd and could very well go into the season with Felton and Kidd at the point guard position. They could also bring him back and use Kidd at shooting guard until Iman Shumpert returns from injury sometime during the year. As of late Saturday night, there were no definite reports on whether the Knicks will match Lin’s offer sheet.
Would you like to see Lin back in a Knicks uniform this year, or does the large contract or lack of experience scare you off?
