The Houston Rockets are doggedly pursuing LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. They’ve already agreed in principle on a trade that will send Omer Asik–and his hefty contract–to the New Orleans Pelicans. Looking to clear more cap space to attract James or Anthony to join forces with James Harden and Dwight Howard, the Rockets are also shopping Jeremy Lin.
A possible landing spot for Lin, who is a Bay Area native, is the Golden State Warriors, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. However, to make the deal worthwhile for the Warriors, Houston would have to include Chandler Parsons in the deal. Parsons is an underrated player on the verge of becoming a star. Adding him to the already packed Golden State roster would make them formidable.
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Acquiring Parsons could also make Golden State more willing to send Klay Thompson to Minnesota in exchange for Kevin Love, knowing the Warriors have plenty of depth on the wings.
Joe Lacob is involved in discussions with many teams, but if any rumors were to pan out, it would be this one. Not only would adding Parsons give Golden State another versatile wing player, but adding Lin along with him gives the Warriors much needed point guard depth.
Golden State’s bench was among the worst in the league last season, as few players could consistently contribute. After Jarrett Jack left for Cleveland last offseason, the Warriors experimented with many backup point guards. They signed veteran Toney Douglas only to ship him to Miami in exchange for Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks in part of a three team deal.
The Warriors sent both Brooks and fan favorite Kent Bazemore to the Los Angeles Lakers for Steve Blake. Blake was a major disappointment as he disappeared in the playoffs, giving no help to star Stephen Curry.
Hoops Habit
If Golden State wants to compete in the tough Western Conference, they must solve the backup point guard position, and Lin may do just that. He gives the Warriors scoring off the bench, and has the ability to initiate the offense. Perhaps the most beneficial part of the deal is giving Curry–who played heavy minutes throughout the entire season–some rest.
Understandably, Curry’s shot seemed a bit wayward late in games due to the fatigue the long season causes. Keeping Curry as fresh as possible is a priority, meaning the Warriors should pull the trigger for Parsons and Lin.
If this deal happens–and the Warriors also acquire Love for Thompson and David Lee–Golden State would have one of the best rosters in the NBA. The starting five would consist of Curry, Parsons, Andre Iguodala, Love and Andrew Bogut with the bench being led by Lin, Harrison Barnes, Draymond Green and, depending on a deal for Love, Kevin Martin.