NBA Trade Rumors: Jamal Crawford Would Be Perfect Fit for Rising Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers are one of the NBA's most exciting young teams, but if they want to be contenders when the playoffs roll around a couple upgrades are still necessary. That's why underrated shooting guard Jamal Crawford is the perfect target.

Yannis Koutroupis of Hoops World reports the Clippers are one of several teams tracking the Portland Trail Blazers guard:

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Sources confirm to HOOPSWORLD that Crawford, who was signed as an unrestricted free agent this offseason to be retired shooting guard Brandon Roy’s replacement, is on several teams' radar.

The Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves are pursuing him the strongest, but the Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks have also expressed interest.

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Portland only has slim playoff hopes at this point and doesn't want to risk losing Crawford, who has a player option in his contract for next season, without getting something in return. So a trade certainly makes since from their side.

The Clippers haven't been playing as well as of late with just a 5-5 record over their past 10 games, which should open the front office's eyes to the few weaknesses the roster still has after a quick start.

One of those holes is a player like Crawford. He can either come off the bench to be a terrific sixth man or slide into the starting lineup and hold his own. Versatile, team-first players like that are key to any franchise hoping to make a deep run.

It's impossible to guess what the asking price will be since the Blazers aren't in a position of power. That said, with so many teams reportedly interested there will likely be a minor bidding war to land Crawford before the deadline in less than two weeks.

All told, it shouldn't cost the Clippers any major pieces to land him. He's averaging 15 points and four assists in just 27 minutes per game for Portland. That's exactly the type of efficiency he'll bring to Los Angeles.

Since it has been awhile since the Clippers have considered themselves strong contenders, it will be interesting to see if they are aggressive or conservative over the next few weeks. More often than not, teams play it safe when they are on the contender fringe.

But this isn't an ordinary circumstance. The Clippers are also battling the Lakers for supremacy in Los Angeles and a move for Crawford would help them maintain the little edge they took during the offseason.

As long as the price is reasonable, the Clippers should make a strong push for Crawford before it's too late.