Charlotte Hornets: Jeremy Lin would make sense, but it’s getting too late
Still unsigned, Jeremy Lin would be a good fit on and off the court for the Charlotte Hornets, but time is ticking on a deal as roster spots continue to fill out.
Well, Charlotte Hornets fans, we have officially hit the dog days of NBA Free Agency.
All the big fish are off the market and teams are now filling out their roster as they prepare for training camp, which begins sometime next month. The Hornets, for the most part, have their roster set as they enter the 2019-20 season in what will likely be a rebuilding year after losing Kemba Walker to the Celtics.
The Hornets made one big acquisition this summer, and that was landing Terry Rozier in a sign-and-trade with the Celtics. He’s nowhere near the player that Walker is, but it did soften the blow just a tad bit. He’ll be Charlotte’s point guard of the future moving forward.
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Since then, though, we haven’t heard a peep from the Hornets.
One name that has been thrown around among Hornets fans as a potential signing has been Jeremy Lin, who had a cup of coffee with Charlotte in 2016. It was a really good cup of coffee, though, as Lin arguably had the best season of his career since his “Linsanity” days in New York.
Now at age 30 and over two years recovered from a horrible knee injury, Lin finds himself in a position that he hasn’t been in since he first entered the league. He’s not on a roster, and will have to fight his way onto a team like he did after going undrafted in 2010.
So, should the Hornets go after Lin? Well, it may be too late for that. As of now, Charlotte has 15 players under contract. Jalen McDaniels will likely receive a contract of some sort, and it appears that Joe Chealey will be at least going to camp with the Hornets, so those two would bump the roster up to 17.
Roster spots are limited, but it is pretty clear that Charlotte does need a third point guard on their roster. Maybe Chealey can be that guy, but Lin is obviously a superior player. Charlotte may prioritize developing Devonte’ Graham, though, so I’m not sure Lin would have interest in riding the bench.
I just don’t see any space for Lin on this roster. You can bring up to 20 players to training camp, but the last three spots would more than likely go to younger players so they can retain their rights in the G-League.
I think that Lin can still help an NBA team, but he didn’t do himself any favors after his stint with the Raptors. He won a championship, but he struggled on the court big time. He recently noted how tough free agency has been because he feels the NBA has “given up on him”, so we’ll see if he can earn some redemption where his next basketball stop is.
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I really feel for Jeremy Lin. He’s a hard worker that deserves a spot in the NBA. He’s had a very good career and is very good at what he does, but the Charlotte Hornets may not be his next landing spot.