Mike Woodson will be the Knicks’ coach next season, and he will almost certainly have Jeremy Lin running his offense.

The team officially lifted Woodson’s interim title on Friday and signed him to a multiyear contract — his reward for salvaging a seemingly dismal season and guiding the Knicks to the playoffs. The decision to retain Woodson was made weeks ago and had been widely reported, although working out the contract took some time.

The next key move will be to re-sign Lin, the Knicks’ point guard sensation, who will be a restricted free agent on July 1. General Manager Glen Grunwald left little doubt that the Knicks would do so.

Because Lin is a restricted free agent, the Knicks will have the right to match any offer, regardless of the salary cap. Because of certain cap rules, no other team is permitted to offer him more than $5 million in a starting salary. Rival teams could conceivably attempt to “backload” a contract to dissuade the Knicks from matching the offer, but that is unlikely, given Lin’s short résumé.

via Howard Beck of The New York Times