NBA Rumors: 5 free agency destinations for Jeremy Lin

By John Buhler | Jun 7, 2016

Apr 17, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin (7) drives to the basket as Miami Heat guard Josh Richardson (0) defends during the first half in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mar 4, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Jeremy Lin (7) shoots the ball while being defended by Indiana Pacers forward Myles Tuner (33) in the first half at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

Indiana Pacers. 3. player. 100. . East. Central

While the Indiana Pacers are in a bit of flux after trying to go small in 2015-16 and ultimately failing, causing team president Larry Bird to part ways with successful head coach Frank Vogel, Lin would provide a great deal of value to a Pacers backcourt that needs stability.

Indiana will probably be in position to contend for another trip to the Eastern Conference Playoffs in 2016-17, thanks mostly to great play in their front court from Paul George, Myles Turner, and Ian Mahinmi.

While Monta Ellis is a great go-to scorer at times at the two-guard, Indiana just can’t hang with George Hill routinely turning the ball over as often as he does at the point. Lawson came over midseason after failing in Houston and never really amounted to much with the Pacers in 2016.

In short, Indiana seems to be in a quagmire with their backcourt, but new head coach Nate McMillan was promoted to replace Vogel within the organization to do just that. McMillan was a star player for the then Seattle SuperSonics and had previously coached the Portland Trail Blazers.

Lin could start for the Pacers, but his best value for this team is to come off the bench and provide much-needed scoring from the second unit and run an up-tempo offense for McMillan to Bird’s liking. How Indiana handles the point guard will decide if the Pacers are indeed playoff caliber in 2017 regardless of how gifted of a player George is at small forward/stretch four.

Next: 2. Philadelphia 76ers

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