The Cavaliers have reportedly shown interest in Crawford this summer and now Frank Isola at the New York Daily News is reporting that the Knicks also could be in the mix. The shooting guard is being courted to move back in his former basketball home of the Big Apple. He will make $5.7 million this season. Both the Knicks and the Cavs are limited to what they can offer in young players or draft picks. Could this be the end of Crawford’s time in L.A.? It doesn’t mean Crawford is getting all the way to the paint when he crosses a defender over. This offseason the Clippers have brought in Paul Pierce, Lance Stephenson and Wesley Johnson who could all take over Crawford’s role coming off the bench.
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In fact, analysts are already considering one of the best sixth man, Jamal Crawford, to be the odd man out soon.
That could push Los Angeles to trade Crawford for someone with a different skill set. Crawford still has significant ties to members of the organization after playing there from 2004-08, including owner James Dolan.
The New York Knicks don’t have many assets on the roster.
Arron Afflalo is a lights out shooter who averaged an efficient 18.2 points per game in 2013-14, but his career average is a much lower 11.4. Smith turned a deal down worth $6.4 million in this season.
All that may not matter – making this deal happen is very hard.
That’s a lot of moving pieces, and any time things get this complicated, there’s a chance they fall apart. Phil Jackson and Pat Riley, two of the league’s most decorated coaches turned executives, want J-Crossover on their team. Wilcox to make the financial side fit? They can’t expect much for Crawford in August. Most of the players who are considered valuable on the trade market are of such importance to New York that they’re borderline untouchables, albeit without the star status to warrant such a label in other situations. The Cavs have a trade exception after trading Brendan Haywood and Crawford could be an option to come over through that.
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We’ll tab the odds of a deal at 6 out of 10.
