39-year-old guard Jamal Crawford is on the open market, becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer after last playing for the Phoenix Suns during the 2018-19 NBA season.
Crawford, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, is known for his dynamic isolation shot selection and clutch shooting. He's a 19-year veteran in the league who has played with three teams in the postseason, going to the playoffs eight times. For any contender or hopeful, he'd be a good addition to the bench for additional scoring and a reserve option at shooting guard.
Let's take a look at three options for slick J-Crossover.
Miami Heat
While the Heat have a new gunslinger in town with swingman Jimmy Butler, that doesn't mean they couldn't use a little help on the perimeter from Crawford. Jamal has the swagger that belongs in South Beach. Miami is in a tricky position where pundits don't believe the Heat will be a true threat in the East, but they stand tied up in salary with Goran Dragic, Kelly Olynyk, and Dion Waiters.
Signing the veteran Crawford wouldn't solely be an on-court move by Pat Riley and the Heat; no, it could be a financial way to bring the Seattle native in and eventually move him in a deal for the much-rumored Chris Paul on the Oklahoma City Thunder, or as a chip to push in and sweeten a trade that would move Dragic or Olynyk.
From a playing perspective, however, Crawford is a bona fide scorer who would be needed on the Heat, which finished fifth-worst in the NBA last season in points per game and fifth-worst in offensive rating.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Blazers have another roster spot open after signing NBA super veteran Pau Gasol, and the team stands at 14 players. Crawford would be a welcome addition to a team that made its first conference finals in 19 years, since Rasheed Wallace and Damon Stoudamire made back-to-back West Finals.
Crawford played for the Blazers very briefly, back in the 2011-12 season. Signing with the Pacific Northwest franchise in the wake of the lockout which shortened that season, Crawford averaged 14.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game in 60 matches and only six starts. Despite ghastly shooting splits at 38.4% from the field and 30.8% from 3-point range, Crawford led the league that season in free throw percentage, at 92.7%.
More importantly, Crawford could fortify the Blazers' bench with much-needed shooting. The three-time Sixth Man of the Year would replace Jake Layman, Nik Stauskas, and Seth Curry. In free agency, Portland signed Anthony Tolliver and Mario Hezonja, two forwards with vastly different track records from long range.
Tolliver, 34, is a career 37.6% shooter from deep, shooting almost at that exact percentage for the Minnesota Timberwolves last season.
Hezonja, meanwhile, is a volatile 24-year-old who shot 27.6% from 3-point range for the New York Knicks last season on 2.6 attempts per game. Crawford would bring stability to a bench that, while being a new collective of players, is solely lacking a leader at guard.
Philadelphia 76ers
To make a straightforward point, Crawford with point-forward and former Rookie of the Year Ben Simmons would be incredibly intriguing. While Crawford can play both as an on- and off-ball guard, he's a dynamic threat to break down defenses with sizzle and panache. Simmons, however, is more of the thunder to Crawford's lightning; he's a physical specimen at 6-foot-10 playing the point and bulldozing his defender.
Simmons also isn't much of an outside shooter—although the talk is he may be feeling more comfortable as he prepares for next season—and Crawford brings the energy the Sixers will miss next year with J.J. Redick, who was a feverishly diligent worker on offense, navigating through screens for a quick 3-point attempt. Crawford won't have that same off-ball screen action in a potential Philly union, but he's the shake-and-bake killer, someone Simmons, Joel Embiid, and the rest of the team can use after falling to Kawhi Leonard and the NBA champion Toronto Raptors on a Game 7 buzzer-beating jumper.
