NBA Free Agency 2012: 7 Teams That Must Aggressively Pursue Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin is set to become a restricted free agent when the free-agency period opens this summer.

Even though the New York Knicks can match any offer for Lin, that won’t stop him from exploring all of his options when deciding where he wants to call home next season.

As any good agent would, Lin’s agent, Roger Montgomery, has assured all teams that Lin’s services could be had if the price is high enough, effectively raising Lin’s free-agent value.

Here are seven teams that must aggressively pursue restricted free agent Jeremy Lin.  

Atlanta Hawks

Jeff Teague emerged as a suitable starting point guard for the Hawks last season, but excelled more as a scorer than a distributor, averaging fewer than five assists per game.

The Hawks have plenty of talent on their roster, including Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and Al Horford, so they really need a point guard who can find them the ball.

Even without a great point guard, the Hawks have made the playoffs the past five seasons, but have never made it past the second round.

Adding Jeremy Lin to this roster could finally take the Hawks into the Eastern Conference finals, further than they’ve been since switching from the Western to the Eastern Conference in 1970. 

New Orleans Hornets

Unlike the last team mentioned, the New Orleans Hornets’ problem is their lack of talent on the roster.

Things are looking up, though. The Hornets will most likely lock up Eric Gordon to a long-term deal this offseason. They will also add two top-10 picks from this year’s draft, including the No. 1 pick (most likely Anthony Davis). 

The Hornets would really be making a splash this offseason and turn themselves into instant contenders if they could also add Jeremy Lin to the roster.

A trio of Lin, Gordon and Davis could bring the Hornets further than Chris Paul ever did.  

Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers desperately need to change things up after their disappointing second-round exits the past two seasons.

Most people believe either Pau Gasol or Andrew Bynum need to go, but I think they just need to form a better system that plays to both of their strengths.

The key to success for the Lakers is finding a point guard who can distribute the ball so Kobe Bryant doesn’t need to run isolation plays so often.

Jeremy Lin could definitely be that guy for the Lakers and would probably lead them back to the NBA Finals if he signed with them. 

Brooklyn Nets

Let’s face it, Nets fans: You shouldn’t be very optimistic that Deron Williams will return to this team next season.

He took to Twitter to refute a recent report by Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski that he won’t return to the Nets unless they get Dwight Howard. Even so, it is unlikely he will move to Brooklyn with the team if they don’t somehow upgrade their talent very quickly. 

The Nets saw firsthand the immense following Lin had with the Knicks, so bringing him to Brooklyn would certainly increase the team’s popularity as they make their move to a new city.   

Dallas Mavericks

After going undrafted during the 2010 NBA draft, the Dallas Mavericks were the first team to give Lin a shot in minicamp and then summer league before he ended up signing with the Golden State Warriors.

Had he stayed with Dallas, Lin would have been a very inexpensive replacement at starting point guard for Jason Kidd, who is coming to the end of his career.

Dallas has been linked to potential free agent Deron Williams, who grew up in Texas, but he has made it clear he hasn’t decided yet where he would like to play next year. 

If Williams ends up not choosing the Mavericks, Lin would without a doubt be a great second option for their point guard of the future. 

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings have a very nice collection of young talent, most notably DeMarcus Cousins and Tyreke Evans. They also have a top-five pick in this year's draft.

Jeremy Lin could step in right away and be an instant leader, bringing direction to a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2005-2006 season.

Since the Sacramento Kings are currently the youngest team in the NBA, adding Lin to this roster gives them the potential to be dominant for years to come. 

New York Knicks

The Knicks have the luxury of being able to match any offer sheet Jeremy Lin might sign with another team.

For this reason, they don’t necessarily need to be aggressive in their pursuit of Lin, but they do need to re-sign him at all costs.

Allowing Lin to leave New York would be more detrimental to this team than Isiah Thomas was in his five years as president of basketball operations for the Knicks.

Fortunately, Knicks GM Glen Grunwald has stated he doesn’t see a scenario where the team won’t match an offer for Lin, so now it just comes down to him staying healthy next season and actually playing in the playoffs.