NBA Trade Rumors: Jamal Crawford Drawing Interest from Celtics, T'Wolves, 76ers
To the surprise of absolutely no one, the Portland Trail Blazers are attempting to trade away sixth man Jamal Crawford after he suffered one of his worst seasons to date in 2011-12.
Chris Haynes of Comcast SportsNet reports that quite a few teams across the league are in active pursuit of Crawford. These teams include the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, and Minnesota Timberwolves, while the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Clippers have also shown some interest in his services.
Crawford agreed to a two-year, $10-million contract with the Blazers before the start of the lockout-shortened season. The deal includes an opt-out option that the twelve-year veteran can exercise on or before June 29 if he isn't moved.
Portland has long been attempting to completely renovate its backcourt by getting rid of both Crawford and point guard Raymond Felton.
Back in March, ESPN's Chad Ford reported that both players would be shopped around after leading a mutiny against former head coach Nate McMillan. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports later reported that Minnesota was close to a deal for Crawford but couldn't work it out.
Crawford averaged a respectable 13.9 points per game this past season, but shot only 38 percent from the field and a career-low 31 percent from deep. Considering his statistics, the market value for the combo guard has likely taken a dip since the trade deadline.
Regardless, Crawford will remain a hot commodity for teams in need of another scorer. Given Minnesota's prolonged interest and Boston's possession of two first-round picks, the T'Wolves and Celtics have to be the favorites to land him.
