NBA Trade News & Rumors: Jeremy Lin to be Traded? Why Lakers Could Make Move

Jeremy Lin of the Los Angeles Lakers may be bound to transfer teams again.

After being benched by coach Byron Scott for weeks, the point guard was back in the starting five after Ronnie Price had to skip the game against the Los Angeles Clippers on January 8, 2014. Price suffered from a broken nose and flu-like symptoms. Lin's additional playing time as well as his starting position will only depend on the return of Price or until he is placed again on the trading block, based on a report by Master Herald. During the game, Lin scored 12 points and had three assists but the Lakers lost 114-89.

During the Lakers' game against the Orlando Magic on January 10, Lin was still in the starting five despite the return of Price. The reason - Kobe Bryant decided to skip the game to rest. Lin did very well during the game, leading the Lakers to a 101-84 victory, scoring 18 points and adding six assists and four steals.

Master Herald in the same report cited that sports analysts believed that the main issue with Lin is consistency. In some games, he can be quite stellar but tends to perform poorly in others. Support players like Lin should remain consistent if the Lakers wish to be a contending team. Aside from Bryant, there should be another Laker who can stay consistent from one game to the next. Allegedly, the value he adds to the team is less than the three-year $25 million contract that the Lakers are currently paying.

In Sports World Report, the Lakers previously wanted to acquire point guard Rajon Rondo but lost him to the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers are also reportedly eyeing on Jose Calderon of the New York Knicks. The caveat with Calderon is his $15.1 million deal for two years. Deron Williams is another possible but expensive acquisition. Other options to replace Lin include Brandon Jennings and Reggie Jackson but the two will not be as affordable as Calderon.

Detroit Free Press reported that the Lakers have called the Detroit Pistons to inquire about the availability of point guard Brandon Jennings and power forward Greg Monroe. Jennings is signed with the team until next season while Monroe is a pending free agent. The Pistons are now in a winning streak so it would require more than Jeremy Lin from the Lakers to convince them to part with either Jennings or Monroe.