LAS VEGAS — New Nets co-owner Joe Tsai reiterated his fondness for Jeremy Lin, and wished his favorite player well. But that didn’t keep the rehabbing point guard from getting traded early Friday, part of a pair of stunning deals by the Nets.
General manager Sean Marks does some of his best work in Vegas; one would hate to face him at the poker table. He found a way — by not only trading Lin to the Hawks, but also dealing Isaiah Whitehead to the Nuggets — to essentially turn $9 million in cap room and Lin (who hasn’t played since rupturing his patellar tendon in last season’s opener) into a first-round pick and Kenneth Faried.
For Lin, the Nets received the rights to Atlanta’s 2016 second-round pick, Isaia Cordinier, and they sent the Hawks their 2025 second-rounder and the right to swap picks in 2023. For Whitehead (later waived by Denver), the Nets got Faried and his $13.8 million expiring salary, as well as Darrell Arthur and two draft picks.
Doing that not long after ridding the Nets of Timofey Mozgov’s odious contract in an earlier deal was Marks taking the long view and making this summer a home run for Brooklyn — even if getting traded may have been a surprise for Lin.
Lin stated Wednesday night he didn’t expect to be traded because he hadn’t gotten a call from Marks or coach Kenny Atkinson, and had actually gotten a call from his agent just to clarify recent reports. Less than 36 hours later, he was bound for Atlanta.
“Find joy in your journey!!” Lin tweeted Friday.
He added an Instagram post that featured him in a Hawks jersey, and read “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established -Proverbs 16:3 #ATL #faithfirst.”
A huge segment of Nets fans — really Lin fans — insisted that once healthy, the guard would lead a dramatic turnaround in Brooklyn. Other fans pushed back, believing he was injury-prone and lamented his status as Tsai’s favorite player was keeping Marks from moving him.
It turned out both contingents were wrong.
“Sean Marks has kept me updated on our team’s moves during this offseason. He and his team are doing terrific work to build the Nets for the long term,” Tsai tweeted early Friday morning. “I love Jeremy Lin because he represents the underdog in all of us — truly first class on and off the court.
“Jeremy is not only exciting to watch, he sets an example for perseverance and leadership. We are great friends, and I will follow his progress no matter where he is.”
Tsai taking the long-term view isn’t shocking, considering he won’t take over the Nets for another three years. And the deals really proved too good for the team’s future to pass up.
Lin, 29, still hasn’t worked up to three-on-three contact, much less full 5-on-5. After missing 126 of 184 games as a Net, there was internal concern about whether he would have been ready for the start of camp. And getting Lin’s $12.5 million salary off the books opened up the door for the deal with Denver.
The Post has reported for months the Nets were interested in taking on Faried in exchange for a pick. They couldn’t come to a deal before last month’s draft, and considering Denver traded away the pick that became budding star Donovan Mitchell last year, it’s easy to understand their hesitance.
But now, having the ability to take on $21 million in the form of both Faried and Arthur gave the Nets a much stronger bargaining position. Marks got a protected first-round pick and an unprotected 2020 second-rounder.
Whatever the Nets get from Faried — and NBA.com/NBA TV reported they have been in discussion with the Newark native’s camp about keeping him — the double deal effectively has made them D’Angelo Russell’s team. For better or worse, they’re committed to the long game, and Russell is a part of that.
Lin wasn’t.