After taking home the third Sixth Man of the Year Award of his NBA career this past season, there’s an added intrigue to the unrestricted free agency of Clippers guard Jamal Crawford. But Crawford is treating the situation as a very cut-and-dry one.
In an interview with Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders on Thursday, Crawford stated his desire to stay put this summer if possible.
“My preference is to re-sign with the Clippers,” Crawford said. “But I understand that, at the end of the day, I’m a free agent so I have to look at everything. I have to take every call and consider every offer that comes to me and my agent. I have to, that’s just part of being a free agent.
“I think I’m one of the priorities [for the Clippers] and [head coach and president of basketball operations Doc Rivers] said that they want to bring me back to L.A,” Crawford continued. “I thought the exit meeting went really well and he definitely made it clear that he wants me to re-sign.”
The 36-year-old Crawford averaged 14.2 points per game, 1.8 rebounds per game, and 2.3 assists per game. His knack for instant offense and dribble-drive goodies off the bench will always hold value. But in a league that places a huge premium on good shot selection and ball movement, especially from complementary players, Crawford’s earning potential is capped. It’s especially so considering his age, the number of possessions he uses, and his reputation for producing relatively empty stats.
At the end of the day though, the Clippers may find themselves with no other choice but to keep Crawford, arguably their only reliable second-unit contributor. Austin Rivers is also a free agent, Jeff Green gave them little after being acquired at the trade deadline, Wesley Johnson cannot be trusted in a large role, Paul Pierce may retire, and Pablo Prigioni is indeed retiring.
While Crawford hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye with the organization, the elder Rivers has been vocal about their desire to retain him, so the likeliest scenario is still that J-Crossover remains a Clipper for the foreseeable future.
H/T Rotoworld
