Linsanity is leaving Los Angeles as point guard Jeremy Lin signed up with the Charlotte Hornets Thursday. Although no information was disclosed about the deal, reports say it is for the team's biannual exception: two years for $4.3 million.
The Hornets are hoping the addition of Lin can help them with their offensive woes in the past few seasons.
Lin, 26, will now be playing for his fifth team after stints with the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.
Before signing up on Thursday, the point guard posted a photo on Instagram of the Hornets' logo and an edited photo of him in the team's road jersey Wednesday. He also posted a statement of his decision on Facebook.
Hornets general manager Rich Cho believes Lin is a valuable piece in their plans of fixing the team's offense. "We were looking to get more depth in the backcourt, and we feel really good about the signing. He's going to bring some energy to our backcourt and our second unit. He will be a great addition," Cho told ESPN.
Lin's biggest break was with the Knicks, where the term "Linsanity" was born after he played stellar basketball for the struggling franchise in the middle of the season.
The Rockets signed him up the following season, and he played for them for two years before getting traded to the Lakers. Last season, Lin averaged 11.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game mainly as a backup point guard for Los Angeles.
That will again be the case with Charlotte as Lin will come off the bench for starter Kemba Walker unless he impresses enough during training camp to get the starting nod.
The Hornets addressed their struggles on offense with a number of roster moves this offseason. Along with the acquisition of Lin, Charlotte also traded for forward Nicolas Batum, guard Jeremy Lamb and center Spencer Hawes.
The Hornets also selected center Frank Kaminsky, who was a huge part of Wisconsin's success in the NCAA tournament last season. Kaminsky helped the Badgers reach the national championship game, only to come up short against Duke.
