Jeremy Lin Trade to Houston Rockets Goes Ahead
Jeremy Lin is officially heading to the Houston Rockets, it was confirmed late Tuesday.
The New York Knicks confirmed that they would not match the three-year, $25.1 million offer sheet that was drawn up by Houston for Lin.
"The Knicks did not immediately announce their decision Tuesday night, but they conveyed their intentions to Lin sometime after 10 p.m.," a person with knowledge of the conversation told The New York Times.
The Knicks' deadline to decide either to match the deal or say goodbye to Lin was 11:59 p.m. EST Tuesday.
Under the deal, Lin will receive $5 million and $5.2 million respectively in the first two years and $14.9 million in the third.
New York fans were delighted with the rise of the new sports star earlier this year.
Lin is the first American player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA. He made a major impact in the league. Sports Illustrated refered to him as "the biggest overnight sensation the game has ever seen."
The 23-year-old New York Knick was sitting on the bench, but everything changed once he became a starter. In his first three games as starter, he scored more points than any other player in the history of the NBA within the same first three games and led his team to a series of consecutive wins. He averaged 14.6 ppg with the Knicks.
Media coverage of Lin extended from sports to entertainment in the United States and around the world. Celebrities raved about the player on Twitter and videos of Lin's best plays have gone viral with millions of views on YouTube.
But there has been large debate as to whether he is truly valuable, especially after he suffered a knee injury that left him out of the playoffs.
Now the point guard will have to prove himself in Houston.
