Reports have surfaced that Jamal Crawford and Nick Young were getting sought out to play for the Golden State Warriors; however, Crawford has indicated that would rather play for the Los Angeles Lakers. Last Monday, a deal was reported that would send Danilo Gallinari to the Clippers in a sign-and-trade, Paul Millsap to the Nuggets in a sign-and-trade, and Crawford, Diamond Stone, and a first round pick to the Hawks. Crawford has said that he has no desire to play in Atlanta, so a buyout would occur.
Crawford as a Laker?
Marc Spears recently reported that Jamal Crawford said that he wants to play with Lonzo Ball in Los Angeles if this trade and buyout were to happen.
The Lakers have the financial flexibility to offer Crawford a reasonable contract to play for the team. Lonzo would be a perfect complement for Crawford. Ball is known for his passing and has been compared to former players such as Jason Kidd in terms of his assist making skills. Crawford is a pure shooter than can score 15 points in any given night.
Crawford is 37 years old, so his contract would not be a long one in theory. He had two years left on his old contract with the Clippers, so he could seek something along the lines of that. Crawford has spent the last five seasons with the Clippers, so it is understandable why he doesn't want to leave Los Angeles.
Waiters another possibility
Just because Crawford wants to play with the Lakers doesn't mean that he will get that chance.
The Lakers had a strong meeting with free agent Dion Waiters on Sunday. Waiters averaged 15.8 points a game this past season and plays a similar game that Crawford does at the age of 25. Waiters will command more money than Crawford, so unless Crawford takes less money, there's little reason to believe that both would be on the roster.
No Lakers, then retirement?
Crawford has made $135 million in his 17 years of being in the league. He doesn't want to play for the Hawks because they are in a rebuilding mode. He obviously doesn't want to leave his home in L.A. either. If Waiters were to sign with the Lakers, and the team couldn't afford Crawford, then it's possible that Crawford could just retire after being bought out from the Hawks.
Jamal Crawford has had a nice career. He was the eighth overall pick by the Chicago Bulls in 2000. He has played for six different NBA teams. He is a three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner. The Heat could make a run at Crawford to make up for Waiters, but with his accolades, it seems that he could just call it a career if he wanted to.
