NBA Trade Rumors: Blazers Would Be Wise to Move Jamal Crawford Before Deadline
Word is spreading quickly that the Portland Trail Blazers may be willing to part with shooting guard Jamal Crawford, according to Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld. It would just make sense for Portland to make a move before they lose him for nothing.
It’s been reported that a number of teams, including the Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks, have already expressed interest in the gunner, and even more clubs should be expected to put at least inquire about him before the March 15 trade deadline.
Crawford signed with the Blazers during the offseason for extremely cheap, making just $5 million this season along with a player option for 2013 for the same price.
His production is worth way more than that relatively small financial figure and Portland has become such a volatile place to play that it’s widely expected the 31-year-old will not use his option this summer.
Like many teams with valuable players that are looking likely to leave town after the 2011-12 season, Portland’s best option is to move Crawford to the highest bidder.
At 18-19, this team is falling apart and a playoff trip is becoming less and less likely.
By moving Crawford, the Blazers would at least be able to salvage some cap space and possibly add a draft pick to build for the future. These are realistic goals at this point in the season, and it would be smart of the front office to get something out their marquee offseason signing besides a lottery trip.
Crawford is averaging 14.8 points, 3.9 assists and 2.1 rebounds thus far and has actually begun starting in place of the ineffective Raymond Felton. He’s playing out of position, and it’s clear that the team is misusing a player best served as a 2-guard providing instant offense off the bench.
The Trail Blazers need to end this experiment of Crawford-as-PG and just trade him to the highest bidder before things get worse around the Rose Garden.
