Taiwanese-American NBA star Jeremy Lin (林書豪) has been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, ESPN reported on Friday.
The Houston Rockets have traded the guard and a first-round pick to the Lakers, the US-based global cable and satellite television channel quoted an NBA source as saying.
Rumors about Lin leaving Houston had increased in recent weeks as his contract with the Rockets was set to enter its third and final year.
Photo: CNA
The Lakers were amenable to the deal partly because Lin, 25, is only under contract for one more season, thus preserving their salary cap space next summer, the ESPN report said.
In July 2012, Lin signed a three-year deal with the Rockets worth just over US$25 million — US$5 million in the first year, US$5.225 million in the second and US$14.8 million in the third, which covers the 2014-2015 NBA season.
Taiwanese sports analyst Li Yun-hsiang (李雲翔) said yesterday that Lin joining the Lakers would likely give him more playing time than with the Rockets.
It is likely that the 25-year-old will be placed on the Lakers’ starting roster, given that Steve Nash, 40, is getting old and struggling with injuries, Li said.
He said Lin’s production with the Rockets was low mainly due to head coach Kevin McHale’s decision to limit Lin’s court time.
“Jeremy Lin’s performance has not been bad. He just needs more playing time,” Li said.
Meanwhile, news of Lin’s transfer to the Lakers sparked heated discussion among Taiwanese netizens, with many appearing happy to hear about his departure from the Rockets.
Many fans posted on the Professional Technology Temple (PTT) site, the nation’s largest electronic bulletin board, that they were “popping the champagne,” while “congratulating Lin on escaping from the fiery pit.”
Others said they were so excited about the news that they could not sleep.
Many said they disagreed with the Rockets’ decision to limit Lin’s court time and make him a backup point guard, adding that they hoped to see a more active role for Lin with the Los Angeles-based team.
As Lin has to return to the US to sign with his new team, Lin’s plans to visit Shanghai yesterday were canceled.
Lin arrived in Beijing on Monday for promotional events with Adidas and was expected to make stops in Shanghai, Wuhan and Guangzhou.
Adidas said Lin would make the trip to Shanghai after he signed the deal with the Lakers, as regulations demanded his signature on the documents finalizing the deal within 48 hours.
The public relations company handling Lin’s Shanghai trip said the player would resume his trip tomorrow.
Due to the schedule reshuffle, Lin’s planned trip to Taiwan has been pushed back by one day. He is scheduled to arrive on Thursday.
US PUBLICATION: The results indicated a change in attitude after a 2023 survey showed 55 percent supported full-scale war to achieve unification, the report said More than half of Chinese were against the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, a survey conducted by the Atlanta, Georgia-based Carter Center and Emory University found. The survey results, which were released on Wednesday in a report titled “Sovereignty, Security, & US-China Relations: Chinese Public Opinion,” showed that 55.1 percent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that “the Taiwan problem should not be resolved using force under any circumstances,” while 24.5 percent “strongly” or “somewhat” disagreed with the statement. The results indicated a change in attitude after a survey published in “Assessing Public Support for (Non)Peaceful Unification
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
‘MISGUIDED EDICT’: Two US representatives warned that Somalia’s passport move could result in severe retaliatory consequences and urged it to reverse its decision Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) has ordered that a special project be launched to counter China’s “legal warfare” distorting UN Resolution 2758, a foreign affairs official said yesterday. Somalia’s Civil Aviation Authority on Wednesday cited UN Resolution 2758 and Mogadishu’s compliance with the “one China” principle as it banned people from entering or transiting in the African nation using Taiwanese passports or other Taiwanese travel documents. The International Air Transport Association’s system shows that Taiwanese passport holders cannot enter Somalia or transit there. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) protested the move and warned Taiwanese against traveling to Somalia or Somaliland
SECURITY: Grassroots civil servants would only need to disclose their travel, while those who have access to classified information would be subject to stricter regulations The government is considering requiring legislators and elected officials to obtain prior approval before traveling to China to prevent Chinese infiltration, an official familiar with national security said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) in March announced 17 measures to counter China’s growing infiltration efforts, including requiring all civil servants to make trips to China more transparent so they can be held publicly accountable. The official said that the government is considering amending the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) to require all civil servants to follow strict regulations before traveling to China.
RSS