NBA Rumors: Jamal Crawford Being Targeted By Lakers And Sixers, Says Marc Spears
Even at 38-years-old, former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford is still drawing some interest ahead of the 2018-19 season. While he remains unsigned at this point in the offseason, reports suggest that the veteran guard could be signed by the fast-rising Philadelphia 76ers or the Los Angeles Lakers, who added several veterans earlier in the offseason to complement their new superstar forward, LeBron James.
On Thursday, Clutch Points cited a recent episode of ESPN’s The Jump, where one of the network’s top NBA writers, Marc Spears, said that Crawford has received a few offers from NBA teams as a free agent. While Crawford reportedly told Spears that he hasn’t decided on an offer yet, Spears stressed that the most attention has reportedly come from teams that are expected to do well in the upcoming 2018-19 NBA season.
“He said ‘Nothing yet,’ but he’s had some interest from the Lakers, had some interest from the Sixers. Had some from Golden State although I don’t think the Golden State thing will be there with Patrick McCaw coming back”
While the Golden State Warriors are, as Spears stated, bringing back McCaw as a backup to shooting guard Klay Thompson, the Philadelphia 76ers could have some use for Jamal Crawford if last year’s first overall draft pick, Markelle Fultz, continues to be bothered by injuries. As for the Los Angeles Lakers, the team is projected to have newly signed veterans Rajon Rondo and Lance Stephenson playing behind Lonzo Ball, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Josh Hart in the backcourt.
Strangely enough, Jamal Crawford remains without a team at this stage of the offseason. But his presence would surely be a tremendous addition to any of these teams. https://t.co/seIwGcGOne
— Olympic Memes (@OlympicMemes) September 13, 2018
Opinion on Jamal Crawford potentially joining the Lakers has been mixed, with Fansided’s Lake Show Life calling him a good option for the roster spot the Lakers recently vacated, and SBNation’s Silver Screen and Roll warning that the Lakers might not be able to give Crawford the “meaningful” minutes he’s looking for due to their deep backcourt rotation.
Playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves last season, Jamal Crawford averaged 10.3 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while mostly coming off the bench for shooting guard Andrew Wiggins. While he played well for someone who was then playing his 18th NBA season, Crawford had often been quoted as saying he was unhappy in Minnesota because he wasn’t seeing enough playing time per game. According to Bleacher Report, Crawford said as early as December last year that he “[didn’t] see [any] advantages” to playing fewer minutes so he could “keep his legs fresh for the long haul of the season.”
