Advertisement

Jeremy Lin won't be joining Warriors after failing to get CBA clearance for deal

Cassandra Negley
WNBA and women's college basketball reporter
·2 min read

Jeremy Lin will not be returning to the Bay area as hoped. The free-agent guard was unable to sign with the Golden State Warriors because he couldn’t get the necessary clearance by the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), ESPN’s Marc Spears reported.

Lin doesn’t get clearance to sign with Warriors

Jeremy Lin in a Beijing jersey.
Jeremy Lin won't be signing with the Warriors after failing to get proper clearance. (VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Lin and the Warriors were reportedly finalizing an Exhibit 10 deal on Friday to play for the Warriors’ G League team in Santa Cruz. The agreement needed to be cleared by the CBA where Lin played in the 2019-20 season. The association didn’t give the go-ahead by the 11 p.m. ET waiver deadline on Saturday, per Spears.

It is difficult to get the FIBA Letter of Clearance that was required on a weekend, Marc Stein of the New York Times reported, since international offices are closed. The team couldn’t wait until Sunday because of the luxury-tax hit.

The Warriors instead signed guard Eli Pemberton and swiftly waived him. Pemberton is expected to join the G League squad since the Warriors hold his rights, per Spears. Golden State tips off the 2020-21 schedule on the road against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night.

Lin trying to return to NBA

Lin, 32, began his NBA career with the Warriors in 2010-11 and broke into a social media sensation during his time with the New York Knicks the following year. He averaged 11.6 points and 4.3 assists assists in 25.5 minutes per game from 2010 to 2019.

He played for the Bejing Ducks in the CBA last season, averaging a team-high 22.3 points per game in the regular season. Lin, who has played previously in the G League, has reportedly been working out and scrimmaging with the league’s new development team.

More from Yahoo Sports: