The Houston Rockets are slowly crossing things off their offseason to-do list. They successfully traded away Omer Asik. They did not pick up Chandler Parsons option, allowing him to become a restricted free agent. They secured a meeting with Carmelo Anthony when the offseason officially begins. Now, Jeremy Lin is up next on the priorities as the point guard is bracing for a trade sooner rather than later.
Lin has been for sale for a year now. The Rockets signed the point guard to a contract that gets worse over time, peaking in the upcoming season. It is holding their salary cap hostage and preventing them from making future moves like signing Anthony and possibly LeBron James if they are lucky. That will come at the expense of Lin as the Rockets hope there is a team interested in striking a deal.
No one was interested in Lin last offseason, but a few teams are emerging as contenders this time around. According to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, the Golden State Warriors are considering a trade for Lin in the near future. No deal is imminent as the Warriors are still toying with the idea of adding Lin's $14.9 million contract onto their books. However, the team has a $9.8 million trade exception that expires July 10. That means only $8.7 million of Lin's salary would count against their books so the point guard would not be some kind of financial hindrance.
The Warriors could use Lin. He is a true point guard and would work well as a backup to Stephen Curry, giving Golden State strong scoring off the bench. He is an upgrade from Jordan Crawford and Steve Blake after averaging 12.5 points and 4.1 assists last season. The Warriors need to use that trade exception and getting Lin would not be a bad investment for the season.
The Warriors are also looking at Chandler Parsons as an ideal fit for the team. Golden State was in play for Kevin Love, but those negotiations have soured. Parsons is not the same talent as Love, but not a terrible backup plan either. The Rockets are hoping to re-sign Parsons, but might also be looking to escalate a sign-and-trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves for Love. It is all up in the air right now, but if the Warriors can get both Rockets' stars then they would be set up well for the future.
