Doc Rivers on Crawford: 'I'd be very surprised if he's not a Clipper at season's end'
If Jamal Crawford had things his way, he would have had the option of hitting free agency during the 2015 offseason, with the possibility of escaping the Los Angeles Clippers' crowded backcourt.
Unfortunately for the 35-year-old, that was not his reality. Despite a litany of trade rumors linking him to the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks, the Clippers decided not to pull the trigger on moving Crawford.
President of basketball operations and head coach Doc Rivers believes the former two-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year won't be going anywhere anytime soon.
"I've heard all the rumors about Jamal going other places," Rivers said to Fred Roggin during a recent appearance on The Beast 980. "Jamal's a Clipper, and I'd be very surprised if he's not a Clipper at season's end."
Crawford tweeted a response to one of his followers earlier this summer indicating that he wished he were a free agent. While it's not clear just why he made the remark, the general consensus is that Crawford isn't fond of the idea of playing in a rotation with an overabundance of depth at his position.
Joining the Clippers in 2015-16 will be Lance Stephenson (acquired in a trade with the Charlotte Hornets), Pablo Prigioni (veteran's minimum), and "The Truth," Paul Pierce (three years, $10.5 million). With Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, and Austin Rivers all returning, minutes will tough to come by for Crawford, who averaged his lowest playing time since his 2002-03 campaign last season at 26.6 minutes per game.
With an expiring contract of $5.6 million, all Crawford has to do is wait out this season in order to find greener pastures next summer when the NBA's salary cap continues to soar.
Despite his mileage, Crawford remains a steady scoring option for any second unit around the league, playing the role of an instant-offense guard who can light up the scoreboard when his shots are falling.
In 64 appearances last season, Crawford averaged 15.8 points and 1.9 rebounds, shooting 39.6 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from behind the arc.