Lin, the one-time star of Linsanity as a member of the Knicks, has agreed to terms on a deal that will land him back in the city that made him a global star. It is a solid move by the Nets, who are in a full rebuild after years of disastrous trades and were seeking stability at the point guard position.
Lin will also help raise the profile of the Nets, who have yet to develop a fervid fan base in Brooklyn since moving there from New Jersey for the 2012-13 season.
On his Twitter account, Lin posted an illustration of himself wearing a Nets jersey and the No. 7. He also wrote, “The journey continues … thankful for the next chapter!! #Godisgood”
The terms of the deal — three years and $36 million — were reported Friday morning by the Vertical.
The journey continues…thankful for the next chapter!!#Godisgood
Lin, 27, is coming off a decent season with the Charlotte Hornets in which he averaged 11.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists a game, mostly off the bench. He is a volume shooter — he shot just 41.2 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from 3-point range — but the Nets, who scuffled to a 21-61 record last season, need perimeter production.
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Lin became a sensation with the Knicks in 2012, electrifying Madison Square Garden crowds.CreditSuzy Allman for The New York Times
Brooklyn is undergoing a painstaking overhaul under the leadership of Sean Marks, their new general manager, and Kenny Atkinson, a first-time head coach. Atkinson is known as a player development guru and for his work with guards, in particular. Atkinson was an assistant with the Knicks when Lin played for the team during the 2011-12 season.
In an interview in April, Lin spoke highly of Atkinson.
“I’ve kind of been saying it was just a matter of time for him because I know how good he is; I know how much he was there for me in New York,” Lin said at the time. “When you’re around him, you kind of understand there’s something different about him: his energy, his passion, the juice he approaches his work with.”
Lin added: “He doesn’t leave any stone unturned. He’s always the first one in, and I’m saying first one in by, like hours.”
The Nets on Thursday waived Jarrett Jack, who started 32 games at point guard last season, averaging 12.8 points and 7.4 assists, before he sustained a season-ending knee injury in January. They quickly set their sights on Lin, who had a bounce-back season, finishing seventh in the N.B.A.’s sixth man of the year voting, after he struggled with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2014-15.
An undrafted guard out of Harvard, Lin emerged as a phenomenon with the Knicks in 2011-12. In 35 games with the team, he averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists, briefly supplanting Carmelo Anthony as the face of the franchise. Lin electrified Madison Square Garden with a 38-point effort against the Los Angeles Lakers.
But Anthony bristled at the attention that Lin received, and the Knicks declined to match a lucrative offer made by the Houston Rockets in free agency.
It turned out to be more of the same for Lin, who has had a peripatetic career, playing for five teams in six seasons. On Friday, he found a new home in a familiar city.
