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Toronto Raptors: Why Lin chose Toronto and the risk that comes with it

By Thomas Valentine

ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 9: Jeremy Lin #7 of the Atlanta Hawks stretches before the game against the Charlotte Hornets on February 9, 2019 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - FEBRUARY 9: Jeremy Lin #7 of the Atlanta Hawks stretches before the game against the Charlotte Hornets on February 9, 2019 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Jeremy Lin elected to sign with the Toronto Raptors until the end of the season after being bought out by the Atlanta Hawks. But why did he choose Toronto and the risk that comes with it?

Moving swiftly past the trade deadline, we’re now firmly into buyout season, where contending teams look to bolster their ranks in time for the playoffs, including the Toronto Raptors. From glass cleaning centers to three-point marksman, the buyout market is full of players who can contribute significantly in the latter stages of the season.

Thankfully, the Raptors made a big splash on Monday afternoon, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Jeremy Lin and the Atlanta Hawks had agreed to a buyout and Lin was on his way to Toronto.

Lin seems to have bucked a recent trend so far this buyout campaign. We’ve seen the likes of Wesley Matthews and Wayne Ellington, two guys the Raptors could have desperately used, join Indiana and Detroit respectively.

Both shooting guards have opted into positions where minutes aren’t going to be at a premium, Matthews could well play himself into a starting spot in Indiana now that Victor Oladipo is out for the rest of the season. While Ellington must be viewed as an upgrade to the likes of Langston Galloway if the Pistons are primed to make a push for the eighth seed in the East.

Without Oladipo, it’s hard to view the Pacers as real contenders. As for the Pistons, a first-round exit could well be the ceiling for a team still finding its feet under Dwane Casey. Ellington and Matthews made a conscious decision to play for their careers, as did Jeremy Lin. Just in a different manner.

It might just be a simple explanation that Lin wants to contend for a title, as does every player in the NBA.

That’s the primary objective: win.

Playing for the Raptors, that goal is more attainable than ever for Lin, whose closest taste of playoff victory came with the Charlotte Hornets in 2015-16, when the Hornets took the Miami Heat to seven games before being bounced out of the playoffs in the first round.

Much like the Toronto Raptors, Lin has spent the majority of his career playing against the odds. Linsanity took the world by storm in 2013 but it ended as quickly as it began, Lin was resigned to becoming a career-journeyman, plagued by injuries and an unfathomably high bar set by his overnight takeover.

Lin could have played it safe and found himself in a position where he could be guaranteed regular minutes, and a chance to play his way onto a team next year.

The risk of being in a high-pressure situation would be rid, as the expectations of playing for someone like the Hornets or the Clippers would be significantly lower. The Clippers are in no immediate rush to make the playoffs and the Hornets must realize that their playoff berth would be short-lived.

The risk of walking into a contending team and battling for regular minutes late into the season is tough, especially when teams become comfortable with the rotations at their disposal. If Lin can’t muster up meaningful impact then he could fall straight off the face of the earth and then finding a situation that suits him next year becomes that little bit harder.

Alternatively, Lin could play his way into the team and underperform on a national stage, effectively playing himself out of a job next summer.

One playoff disaster shouldn’t define a career but sometimes it does, look no further than Kyle Lowry. Who, despite being a solid performer in the playoffs the past few seasons, has been painted with a brush that was picked up in 2015, when the Wizards embarrassed the Raptors and Kyle Lowry struggled mightily.

Next. What does Fred VanVleet's injury mean to the Raptors?. dark

Whatever the case, Lin chose Toronto for the right reasons, just like any other free agent. He just elected to play a game of high risk/high reward instead of a situation with a lot less pressure.