Jamal Crawford, Nets Agree to Contract Ahead of NBA Restart

Jamal Crawford's wait to find a new home in the NBA has come to an end after the 40-year-old agreed to a deal with the Brooklyn Nets, the team announced Thursday.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium first reported the deal Wednesday.

There was initially some confusion about whether Crawford would be eligible to sign with a team when the season restarted. Per Charania, players who signed an NBA or G League deal within the past two seasons would be made available to clubs. 

Crawford has been a free agent since the offseason began. The three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner seemed perplexed by the lack of offers he had from teams around the league, via SiriusXM NBA Radio:

"For me, I don't think it comes down to whether I can play or not. Besides the 51-point game, I averaged, you know, over 30 points in the month of April, which is my highest-scoring month in my 19-year career. So I don't think it comes down to that. The year before that, I won teammate of the year, and I don't think it comes down to character. At that point, it's out of my hands."

Since making his NBA debut in the 2000-01 season, Crawford has established himself as one of the league's most reliable scorers off the bench. He had a string of 16 consecutive seasons averaging at least 10 points per game and is a 34.8 percent shooter from three-point range in his career. 

Last year with the Phoenix Suns, Crawford's scoring average dipped to 7.9 points in 64 games. The Seattle native ended the 2018-19 campaign on a hot streak with 106 points over the final three games, including a 51-point outburst in the season finale against the Dallas Mavericks. 

Given his age, Brooklyn will have to keep an eye on the amount of playing time Crawford receives. The Suns only used him for 18.9 minutes per game last season, the second-fewest of his career after his rookie campaign (17.2).

Still, the Nets need the depth considering they will be without at least Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Wilson Chandler, DeAndre Jordan and Nic Claxton when the season restarts.