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Jamal Crawford wishes he was a free agent, unsure of future with Clippers

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

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The Los Angeles Clippers find themselves with overstock at the shooting guard position, a reality not lost on Jamal Crawford.

The glut of guards stands out thanks to some thin spots elsewhere on the roster, and the team's standing in the luxury tax has conspired to make Crawford and his $5.7-million salary a subject of trade rumors.

Asked about just that on Twitter on Friday, Crawford admitted that he wishes he was a free agent, raising the specter of discord between he and the Clippers.

The two-time Sixth Man of the Year, perennially one of the league's best reserves, buoyed an otherwise unsightly Clippers bench in 2014-15.

Apparently noticing their paucity of depth, the Clippers worked to re-sign Austin Rivers and trade for Lance Stephenson, two players who could conceivably eat into Crawford's minutes backing up Chris Paul and J.J. Redick.

This shouldn't be confused for Crawford asking out or complaining about his lot. He was answering a question, and his wish for free agency could be for a number of reasons. Crawford recently saw plenty of free-agent reserves cash in on generous deals, such as Lou Williams' three-year, $21-million pact with the Los Angeles Lakers.

In any case, Crawford's name may hit the rumor mill again in the future, and he'll get his wish next July when he reaches free agency in a much more fortuitous salary-cap environment.

The 35-year-old averaged 15.8 points and 2.5 assists last season, shooting 39.6 percent from the floor and 32.7 percent from outside, easily his worst season since at least 2011-12. He'll have to hope he can rebound to some degree if he has eyes on one last multi-year contract in 2016.

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