4 NBA Teams That Have No Reason Not to Sign Jamal Crawford Right Now
By Ryan Flores
Jamal Crawford isn't exactly a spring chicken anymore, but that doesn't mean that he's not still a walking bucket.
You can't exactly expect Crawford to be the perennial Sixth Man of the Year candidate he once was, but he is still a capable player that can shake an offense out of a funk in spurts. Despite his age, there's always room for guys like him on an NBA roster. If Joe Johnson can get another chance in the NBA with the Detroit Pistons, why can't Crawford get another shot? With that said, let's take a look at four teams who should consider signing the 19-year veteran.
4. Utah Jazz
Donovan Mitchell has struggled mightily to carry the Jazz throughout the playoffs. There's too many Western Conference giants for one player to dismantle. In back-to-back seasons the Jazz have lost to the Houston Rockets in the playoffs because they don't have enough scoring to match up with the likes of James Harden. It's not a lock that adding Crawford would change everything, but it would most certainly help lighten the load for Mitchell and the rest of the Jazz squad.
3. Los Angeles Clippers
Why not bring Crawford back to where he had some of his best seasons? The Clippers already have a stacked roster, but this would make matters even worse for the rest of the NBA. Even in limited minutes, having Crawford play with Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Lou Williams would cause absolute chaos. It's almost unfair.
2. Houston Rockets
James Harden always seems to run out of gas by the time he reaches the Western Conference Finals. Yes, the Rockets have Russell Westbrook this year to help with that. However, they could certainly use another scorer off the bench to assist Harden at times. Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni loves his shooters, and Crawford is still among the most experienced shooters in the NBA.
1. Golden State Warriors
The Warriors will be without Klay Thompson for most of the season due to a torn ACL. While he's on the mend, Stephen Curry and D'Angelo Russell will have to take on the scoring load. The Warriors will be able to get by on this most of the time, but they could use some more scoring off the bench, which is something they desperately lack. Even if the Warriors prefer to have some of their younger players get a chance to step onto the court over Crawford, he would still be a great mentor to aspiring bucket-getters like Jordan Poole and Jacob Evans.