Portland Trail Blazers: Why Jamal Crawford May Not Return Next Season

The NBA is filled with scorers, and one area that teams sometimes face trouble is when trying to determine what players to have coming off the bench. Scoring off the bench is a necessity and there are very few NBA players that are willing to accept such a role.

One player that has become a bench player lately (and has somewhat accepted that role) is veteran guard Jamal Crawford of the Portland Trail Blazers.

After entertaining multiple offers during free agency, Crawford a Seattle native signed a two-year deal (with an option for the second year) with the Trail Blazers although the Sacramento Kings offered a two-year, $5 million guaranteed deal. Crawford spent the past two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks where he won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award back in 2010.

Since entering the NBA back in 2000, Crawford has spent time with the Chicago Bulls (although drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who traded him on draft night to Chicago), before eventually getting dealt to the New York Knicks (and signing a contract extension that lasted for four years), being traded to the Golden State Warriors (lasting almost one season) and traded once again to Atlanta where Crawford became a legit scorer off the bench.

The hope is that Crawford will once again put up decent numbers this season (averaging 14.0 points per game in about 26.2 minutes per game) and look to opt-out of his contract and test the free-agent market during the more popular summer of 2012.

However, Crawford, who is currently in his 12th NBA season, may be holding out for something not be all that realistic. Is Crawford willing to play for a team that is not a contender but will offer the most money?

Given all of the contract limitations, contending teams may look to fill their roster by bringing in veterans at a discount price hoping the notion of winning is the most important item on the table.

Additionally, seeing how Crawford’s career turned out after signing a long-term contract with the New York Knicks in 2004 should make teams wary of its long-term financial consequences.

It will be interesting to see what happens to the Trail Blazers this season and if Crawford feels he is an important part of the team or not. As things go right now, things may be getting a bit testy in Portland, especially with the unhappiness of starting point guard Raymond Felton.