By Fitzgerald Cecilio

After signing Jason Kidd, the Knicks are reportedly putting together a formidable backcourt by bringing back this past season's phenomenon, Jeremy Lin, to New York and partner with the former Mavs veteran point guard.

Lin became a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

Lin, whose sparkling performance while running point for the Knicks last season made him an instant favorite among basketball fans everywhere, agreed to four-year, $30 million offer sheet with the Houston Rockets, according to multiple reports Thursday.

Teams cannot make any free agent transactions until the NBA lifts its moratorium on July 11.

The Knicks, who officially will be presented the offer sheet Wednesday, the day the league's free-agency moratorium ends, will reportedly match the Rockets' offer. New York has three days to match Lin's deal.

Houston is attempting to atone for a previous move as it waived Lin just before the start of the 2010-11 campaign despite an impressive showing in 29 games with Golden State as a rookie.

The Rockets need to address the point guard issue after trading away starting point guard Kyle Lowry earlier.

Lin went undrafted out of Harvard before playing 29 games for the Warriors during the 2010-11 season and averaged just 2.6 points.

The 23-year-old Lin, one of the few Asian Americans in NBA history, and the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the league, then led a turnaround of a struggling Knicks team.

Lin tallied at least 20 points nine times in a 10-game stretch last February.

He averaged 14.6 points, 6.2 assists and three boards per game in 35 contests for the Knicks last season, while starting 25 of those tilts.

A MRI in March revealed a small meniscus tear in the left knee of the Knicks point guard. The team later announced that Lin opted to undergo surgery and would miss the rest of the regular season.

 

 

Knicks to Match Rockets Multi-Year Deal Offer to Jeremy Lin