Two players have been recently released from their teams, while one player has been subjected to trade rumors all year. Reports have surfaced of where Jamal Crawford and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope might go, while Jae Crowder is expected to stay in Boston.
Crawford interested in Cleveland
Crawford had said in recent days that he would like to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. He liked the idea of playing with Lonzo Ball. Crawford has been a proven outside shooter from beyond the arc, and the idea of playing with the pass-heavy Ball could have created some opportunities for him.
However, those rumors have cooled as Cleveland.com reporter Joe Vardon has said that Crawford would take a mid-level exception deal worth $5.2 million to play with the Cavaliers.
Crawford would provide another outside shooter for the Cavaliers to pair with the recently re-signed Kyle Korver. The Cavaliers didn't have enough shooting in the finals as JR Smith fizzled down the stretch. Crawford would provide three proven outside shooters to aid LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
Lakers and Nets interested in Caldwell-Pope
Caldwell-Pope was recently released from the Detroit Pistons after the team traded Marcus Morris for Avery Bradley. The Pistons were not going to be able to afford both extensions as Bradley is a free agent next summer, so they elected to pull their offer for Caldwell-Pope.
The offer was believed to be around five years for $80 million, but it was not the kind of salary he was looking for.
The Lakers would like to bring in Caldwell-Pope if he takes a one-year deal. The Lakers want to make a run at two premier free agents next season. The Nets lost out on Otto Porter Jr., and like the idea of pairing Caldwell-Pope with D'Angelo Russell, whom they recently traded for.
Crowder will stay in Boston
Boston Globe reporter Adam Himmelsbach reported that the Celtics have no interest in trading Crowder and they are excited about the lineup possibilities. The Celtics recently signed Gordon Hayward to a max contract, and had to trade some of their players to afford his first year salary. Bradley was one of the those players even though many expected the team to trade Crowder since he plays the same position as Hayward, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum.
The Celtics have been linked to saying that they could use Hayward in the shooting guard position instead of the small forward slot. The deal hurts the Utah Jazz, who lost Hayward to the Celtics, but were looking into trading for Crowder.
