NBA Trade Rumors: Bringing Back Jamal Crawford Would Make Knicks Contenders

The New York Knicks are going to have one of the NBA's most complete frontcourts but are lacking a perimeter scoring threat. That could change, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post, who reports the Knicks are exploring the possibility of bringing back Jamal Crawford.

Berman wrote: "The Knicks, Hawks and Warriors were in talks Sunday on a three-team sign-and-trade that would bring combo guard Jamal Crawford back to the club, according to an NBA source."

Crawford has spent the past two seasons with the Atlanta Hawks after playing in New York from 2004-08 before being traded to the Golden State Warriors.

He averaged an uncharacteristically low 14 points per game last season. Most of his peripheral statistics remained the same other than shooting percentage, which dropped from 44 to 42 percent. His three-point percentage also dropped four points.

With Chauncey Billups out of the fold, Crawford would immediately become the most accomplished guard on the Knicks. Even after last season's struggles, he would warrant extended minutes as the third option in New York's offense.

By adding diversity to the Knicks' offensive attack, he would make the team legitimate contenders in the Eastern Conference, which has been the perennially weaker conference in recent years.

The Miami Heat would obviously be favored to emerge from the East once again, but they still have their fair share of flaws to fix. Since the NBA appears to be trending toward a superstars-or-bust approach to building a team, depth is always going to be a real issue.

While that isn't a major concern to casual fans, it leaves teams susceptible to injuries. One big blow to the Heat could blow things wide open for other contenders, including the Knicks.

Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire will do most of the heavy lifting, which will open up a lot of space on the offensive end for Crawford to operate. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him return to his usual shooting levels in New York with an increased number of open looks.

The Michigan product has spent time at both point and shooting guard, which further broadens his appeal to the Knicks. Toney Douglas is currently slated to start at PG for New York after waiving Billups.

Even though a sign-and-trade for Crawford wouldn't make major media waves, it would be a solid addition that would help the Knicks solidify themselves as a true threat. And it would leave them only a point guard away from a marquee starting lineup.

The NBA is more intriguing when the Knicks are competitive due to all of the pageantry that goes along with their games. Re-acquiring Jamal Crawford would be a big step in the right direction.