NBA Rumors: New York Knicks, LA Lakers and Best Options for Jamal Crawford
With the NBA lockout coming to a close, free agency will soon heat up, which means many teams will be after Jamal Crawford.
The veteran guard is one of the hot names on the market in this short offseason, and since the window to sign free agent is rather small, Crawford will greatly benefit from it.
Teams will have to act fast to get Crawford, which is one of the reasons the free agency period will be so exciting.
With that said, let's take a look at some of Crawford's best options for the upcoming season.
According to the New York Daily News, there is a possibility Crawford could land with the Knicks. He signed with a new agent recently, who happens to be based out of New Jersey. Sources told the paper that, "he prefers returning to the New York area if he does not re-sign with the Atlanta Hawks."
The Knicks are a strong candidate, but it's a tough decision for New York to make considering the fact that it's no secret the Knicks plan to pursue Chris Paul and Dwight Howard in 2012.
Crawford is going to want a big paycheck, and the Knicks may not be able to deliver on that. Granted, they could always get him and use him as trade bait to the Orland Magic for Dwight Howard.
Still, though, Crawford would be a solid fit in New York, as he can play either guard position. He can score and will, which would only make the Knicks stronger.
LA Lakers
The Lakers have the leagues best shooting guard in Kobe Bryant, but that doesn't mean they're golden at the guard position. Adding Crawford would boost the team greatly, as well as take a lot of pressure of Kobe.
Crawford wants to be a starter, but's hard seeing him denying a chance to play with the Lakers, as it it would give him a phenomenal shot at winning a title.
He came off the bench in Atlanta and did a fantastic job, and he'd do the exact same thing out west. The Lakers need help in the backcourt, and Crawford will give them exactly that.
If you watched basketball at all last season, you knew how much the Bulls were hurting in the backcourt. Derrick Rose was essentially playing two positions last year, which is one of the reasons he became the youngest player in the history of the NBA to win the coveted MVP award.
Chicago has to find a new shooting guard for 2011, and Crawford would be a perfect fit. He would lift a burden off of Rose's shoulders, making life much easier for the young star.
Rose would then be able to act more as a point guard, creating plays not just for himself or Crawford but everyone on the team.
The Bulls were very close to reaching the NBA finals a year ago, and adding Crawford would greatly benefit them. When asked via Twitter if Crawford would consider Chicago, he didn't say no.
Of course, Rose is getting paid a lot of money, which could make it difficult for the Bulls to get Crawford. We're starting to see some players take less money to play for better teams, but it remains to be seen if Crawford would follow suit.
Crawford has been with the Hawks for two seasons now, and he's been a big part of their recent success. Without him, Atlanta will definitely suffer this coming season, which means the Hawks will actively pursue re-signing him.
Money will be the issue at hand for Crawford re-joining the Hawks. One could argue Crawford has been more valuable than Joe Johnson (at least in crunch time), and that would mean Crawford will want a bug pay day.
The Hawks gave a lot of money to Johnson, and since they're struggling with ownership, they may take their hit and let Crawford go if he's asking for too much, which will likely be the case.
However, it doesn't change the fact that Crawford would have success with the Hawks. He may not be the actual starter, but he gets a ton of minutes every game is a big force for Atlanta.
Since Crawford's agent has ties to the New Jersey area, the Nets become an instant option. They make not look all that lucrative to him, but chances are they'd be willing to pay much more than other teams.
If the Nets are going to keep Deron Williams for an extended period of time, they have to surround him with talent. Bringing in the 31-year-old guard would give New Jersey are great one-two punch in the backcourt, as well as another scorer, something they desperately need.
New Jersey landed talented guard Marshon Brooks in the 2011 NBA draft, and if Crawford were on the team with him he could help mold him into a much better player.
The Nets are big winners, but signing Crawford would help push them towards becoming a winning franchise once again.
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