The Los Angeles Lakers haven't been experiencing the season they hoped to have.

At 13-40, the Lakers are the second worst team in the Western Conference ahead of just the Minnesota Timberwolves. With Kobe Bryant out for the season, the Lakers have a very questionable future.

According to multiple reports, the Houston Rockets are interested in acquiring Jeremy Lin. This may seem a bit weird because Lin spent the last two seasons playing for the Rockets. A trade back to his former team would be very unexpected.

On the other hand, the Rockets may not be crazy to make a move soon. Lin becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season, and he will be free to sign anywhere. If the Rockets don't make a trade before this year's trade deadline, they run the risk of not having a reliable point guard. Other than James Harden, who is a shooting guard, Patrick Beverley leads the Rockets in assists this season with just 3.3 assists per game. That's not very high at all and Beverley can walk as a free agent this upcoming offseason.

The Rockets need some insurance, and Lin could be their guy.

Harden is one of the best shooting guards in the league, and he is widely considered the MVP this year. But, the Rockets need a dependable point guard. The biggest issue would be head coach Kevin McHale, who likes to run the two-guard system at the point. This could work out great for the Rockets. They would have unloaded Lin's large contract on the Lakers and still get him back this season.

This season has pretty much been an experiment. Lin doesn't appear to fit the Lakers system, especially with Bryant out for the season. Head coach Byron Scott has routinely benched Lin, and the young point guard has shown his frustrations. Despite playing on one of the worst squads in the league, Lin still leads the team in total assists and assists per 36 minutes this year. Is Lin an elite point guard? Obviously not, but he can certainly help a Rockets team that competes in a heavily loaded Southwest division with the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies.

Lin previously played two seasons with the Rockets, where he averaged 6.1 assists per 36 minutes. The Rockets had to trade Lin away last offseason because they were making a run at free agent Chris Bosh. With Bosh back in Miami with the Heat, it opens up the door for a possible reunion with Lin in Houston.

In some ways, this could be a win-win situation for everyone involved. The Rockets would get an improvement and security blanket at the point guard position, Lin could go back to a team he played much better with, and Lakers could at least get value back for Lin. If Houston is unable to successfully reach a trade agreement with the Lakers before the trade deadline, they will most likely attempt to sign Lin in the offseason.

Lin holds most of the cards in this deck. If Lin does indeed return to the Rockets this very season and things don't work out, he can walk as a free agent. Lin's contract expires at the end of this season. If this potential trade does not take place, Lin can still seek his options as a free agent the summer.

The NBA Trade deadline is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 19, at 3 p.m. EST

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