NBA Free Agency Rumors: Matching Jeremy Lin's Offer Sheet Right Move for Knicks

Jeremy Lin must remain a big part of the New York Knicks' future.

Even though the team agreed to a deal with veteran point guard Jason Kidd and the Houston Rockets made an aggressive offer sheet proposal to Lin, anything other than matching that sheet would be a massive mistake by the Knicks front office.

Speculation about Lin's future has been all over the place since the Rockets' offer, but Marc Berman of the New York Post reports the Knicks are planning to match. His sources don't even think the team will have any second thoughts about it.

Lin dominated the sports landscape for about three weeks last season, a period that will forever be known as "Linsanity." Eventually the hype died down, but he still continued to grow as a player.

Although a knee injury cut his breakout season short, his numbers were impressive. He finished the campaign averaging 15 points and six assists while shooting 45 percent from the floor. The fan favorite also made several clutch shots, including a memorable game-winner against the Toronto Raptors.

Those are solid numbers for just about any player in the league. When you consider he wasn't able to hold down a steady job leading up to that point, it becomes even more astonishing. It's clear he's got a lot of game.

The biggest concern was his high turnover rate, but a lack of NBA experience played a major role in that. Once he gets more comfortable, which should happen at some point next season, that number will drop pretty significantly.

That's especially true when you consider he'll be learning a lot from Kidd. The 39-year-old guard has enjoyed a long and prosperous career ever since getting drafted second overall back in 1994. He should be the perfect mentor.

The 23-year-old Harvard product clearly has enough talent to become far more than a flash in the pan, but he needs to learn the finer points of the position. Things like controlling the pace of the game and limiting turnovers during crunch time are what Kidd will attempt to teach him.

There will still be some growing pains. After all, he's only entering his second full season. Things are definitely trending in the right direction, though, and the Knicks know how valuable he can be if his development continues.

In a league where young point guards are hard to come by—proven by the massive deal given to Deron Williams—the Knicks can't afford to let Lin slip away after such a promising start.

All told, matching the offer isn't only the wise move, it's a no-brainer.