Jeremy Lin Must Remain Dallas Mavericks' Top Free-Agent Target

What do you get when you combine very little salary-cap space with a team in dire need of a starting point guard? A sign-and-trade for Jeremy Lin.

With Monta Ellis and Rajon Rondo both finding new homes this offseason, the Dallas Mavericks are pretty much scrambling to find a point guard worthy of starting for a playoff contender in the hyper-competitive Western Conference.

CBS Sports' Ken Berger reported the Mavs signed J.J. Barea for two years, which will help Dallas' depth at the point, but Barea can't be relied upon as a starting option. Devin Harris probably can't be the guy, either, since he has played in 70 or more games in a season four times in 10 years—he also missed just three games in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 campaign.

Given what's available on the market, in addition to the fact Dallas has virtually no financial flexibility, the Mavericks' best option is adding Lin in a sign-and-trade with the Los Angeles Lakers. Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported Sunday that the 26-year-old is on Dallas' radar.

ESPN.com's Tim MacMahon added that re-signing Barea wouldn't preclude the team from still pursuing Lin.

In a perfect world, the Mavericks would be able to sign a much more established veteran. Unfortunately, they're pretty limited in their options, and adding Lin is about the best they can hope to accomplish at this stage.

SB Nation's Mavs Moneyball argued that Lin would also complement the team's two biggest free-agent acquisitions:

Since the Mavericks added DeAndre Jordan, it's safe to assume they'll be running a fair share of the pick-and-roll. Lin has shown himself to be proficient in that offense, so you could easily see him setting up Jordan will plenty of alley-oops.

Wes Matthews will also enter the fray after spurning the Sacramento Kings. His recovery from a ruptured Achilles continues to be a major question mark, but as long as he returns to 85 or 90 percent of his old self, he'll remain a proficient three-point shooter.

Lin isn't shy about penetrating and trying to get to the basket. Should the defense try to collapse on Lin as he darts into the paint, it could leave Matthews open behind the arc.

Obviously, there would be drawbacks to potentially signing Lin. He has never recaptured the magic from his few weeks of "Linsanity" with the New York Knicks, and it's probably fair to say he'll never be that player again.

CBS Sports' Matt Moore put it best:

"

Lin is burdened by the idea of him more than his actual game. He's a competent borderline starter who works hard, but isn't good defensively and isn't explosive enough offensively to really be a key component. But those magical two weeks of "Linsanity" in New York several years ago hang around as the idea of what he's capable of.

"

He also struggled mightily with turnovers in the past. Over his five years in the league, Lin is averaging 3.3 giveaways to 6.4 assists. Last year, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News reported Lin and Lakers head coach Byron Scott were at loggerheads over Lin's poor TO rate.

"That's a good question," Scott said when asked how Lin can better protect the ball. "I don't know how you get out of making bad decisions. All we can continue to do is point them out to him, watch film and have him just learn from those experiences in making those bad decisions."

At this stage, Dallas can't afford to be picky. Barring some sort of miracle, any point guard it looks to add will carry some amount of risk.

In Lin, the Mavericks would be getting a player who should fit into their system and also comes with playoff experience. They could do much worse than the Harvard grad.