After Jeremy Lin’s break out season in New York this year, many people have assumed the point guard sensation will sign during free agency this summer with the Knicks. But not so fast, Lin’s agent says people shouldn’t jump to conclusions:
Roger Montgomery, in a rare interview, told The Post nothing is assured regarding Lin’s Knicks future, despite interim coach Mike Woodson’s declaration the global phenom — who becomes a restricted free agent on July 1 — would “absolutely’’ return.
When asked if he expects the Knicks negotiation to be cut-and-dried, Montgomery forewarned: “I don’t expect that. We’re not anticipating that’s going to happen. We don’t have assurances of anything. I know history shows most restricted free agents go back to their team, but I’m not going to assume anything. We’re waiting to see what happens.’’[via]
Of course we have to take the comments with a grain of salt, because Lin’s agent wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t try to feed the beast in creating a market demand for his client. Montgomery will likely test the market for Lin by getting him to sign the highest offer sheet he can since he is still a restricted free agent. That way, the Knicks will only have a few days to match the offer. Either way, Jeremy Lin is going to get paid this summer, big time.
Not all teams in need of a point guard are going to make Lin an offer though, given that the Knicks have deep pockets and many feel they are just going to match any offer Lin signs. With that said, insiders are saying that the one team getting ready to make a big offer are the Toronto Raptors, who are in need of some star power, and have a large asian fan base from in and outside of Canada.
