New York Knicks: Team Exploring Multiple Options to Keep Jeremy Lin in New York

The New York Knicks' top priority this summer should be retaining sensational point guard Jeremy Lin. Fortunately, they are reportedly mulling a number of ways to keep the man that started Linsanity and revived their season.

According to Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York, the team will greatly benefit because of their location and the fact that Lin is a restricted free agent. His agent also realizes a little favor now could pay dividends in the future.

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Lin's agent, Roger Montgomery, will have a fiduciary responsibility to his client to get him the best deal possible, he'll know the eventual suitor will be the Knicks. Therefore, Montgomery could ask Lin to do the Knicks a favor and take $2 million less and sign for about $3 million, in order to give the team salary-cap flexibility.

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New York needs Lin to sign for $3 million or less because of the “tax apron” attached to the latest collective bargaining agreement. While the Knicks will be over the $70 million tax level, the apron will not punish them with a hard cap and allow the team greater freedom to sign more players if they remain under $74 million this season.

Lin can technically make up to $5 million from any other team in the league—and he will certainly get offers for that amount—but it might be best for him to take the pay cut to remain in NYC and make up the salary losses in endorsement dollars.

Even if the second-year player decides to try and take his talents to another town, the Knickerbockers can and likely will match that offer with their own mid-level exception.

The only way he doesn’t is if GM Glen Grunwald believes he can bring in another fan favorite facilitator, according to Zwerling’s sources:

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"He's going to be in New York next year regardless, unless they decide they're not going to match him because Nash is going to come in at $5 million or something like that. But Nash is a pipe dream. I think that they keep Lin, just because of his popularity." 

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While Nash would be great along side of Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony in the Big Apple, Lin isn’t a bad option and has a lot of upside.

The best-case scenario for Knicks fans would be watching the team sign Lin for approximately $3 million and then going after Nash with the rest of the cap room and exceptions available.

Whatever happens, it’s not looking likely that Lin leaves this summer. For a team that needs stability more than anything right now, that is a great blessing.