The 22 teams preparing to resume their 2019-20 NBA season at Walt Disney World in Orlando have another opportunity to bolster their squad ahead of the final stretch.
The league will reportedly hold a transaction window from June 22 to July 1, giving each club the option to waive or add players before the campaign restarts.
Those who have signed an NBA or G League deal this season or during the previous campaign are apparently available. Meanwhile, international players who weren't on an NBA roster in 2019-20, such as Nikola Mirotic, are ineligible to be signed.
The remaining 22 clubs will reportedly be able to carry a maximum of 17 players on their roster, including those on two-way contracts, until the end of the regular season.
Here are five players that could make an impact as reinforcements:
Jamal Crawford
It's been over a year since Crawford last played in the NBA, but he ended the 2018-19 campaign on an impressive eight-game stretch. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 19.8 points on 51% shooting - including 46% from deep - while also adding 5.8 assists per contest. Crawford capped his late-season resurgence with 51 points, five boards, and five assists in the Phoenix Suns' final game.
The 19-year veteran has surprisingly remained unsigned since, yet has reportedly remained prepared for a return to the Association. Although Crawford is beyond his best days, the 40-year-old can still provide some offensive punch and playmaking off the bench.
There's no reason why Crawford can't mesh in any locker room. Over the years, he has defined what it means to be a consummate pro, adopting a Sixth Man role midway through his nearly two-decade career and capturing the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award in 2017-18.
JR Smith
Although Smith can be a loose cannon, he's proven to be an effective role player when surrounded by the right mix of people. The 34-year-old is among the top outside shooting threats available, boasting a 37.3% 3-point clip across 15 seasons in the Association.
Prior to being banished by the Cleveland Cavaliers early in the 2018-19 campaign, Smith was an elite catch-and-shoot marksman. From 2013-18, the 6-foot-6 guard made 41.2% of his catch-and-shoot triples and trailed only the "Splash Brothers" in total catch-and-shoot threes made during the 2015-16 season.
While Smith's most recent playoff appearance wasn't his finest moment, he does have 130 postseason games under his belt. He played in four straight NBA Finals as a member of the LeBron James-led Cavs, including the 2015-16 campaign, when Smith started in all 21 contests and made 43% of his 3-point attempts during the club's championship run.
DeMarcus Cousins
The biggest question surrounding Cousins is his health. He has been battered by a slew of major injuries over the past few seasons and was recovering from a torn ACL before the hiatus. However, once league action resumes in late July, Cousins will be virtually a year removed from the aforementioned knee injury.
In February, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said Cousins was "on track to get healthy by the playoffs," according to CBS Sports' Sam Quinn, and the four-time All-Star has shown great resilience following previous setbacks. In 2018-19, Cousins averaged 16.3 points and 8.2 boards across 30 appearances in his return from a torn Achilles.
During Game 2 of The Finals last season, he recorded a double-double in just his second contest back from a quad injury that kept him sidelined for most of the postseason. It isn't far-fetched to think that Cousins - who was waived by the Lakers in February - could contribute offensively in a limited role. But the 29-year-old has certainly lost some foot speed and is a defensive liability in pick-and-roll situations.
Isaiah Thomas
Just three years ago, Thomas was one of the Association's most explosive scorers. The 5-foot-9 guard finished the 2016-17 campaign third in scoring (28.9 points per game) and earned All-NBA second-team honors. Unfortunately, Thomas has never been the same since playing through a nagging hip injury that season.
He has bounced around five different clubs over the past three years, attempting to rediscover his offensive efficiency. Thomas showed some life as a starter for the Washington Wizards, averaging 12.2 points and shooting a career-high 41.3% from distance across 40 appearances this season. He was dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers at the trade deadline and waived two days later.
Like Crawford, Thomas might be the offensive spark plug teams are looking for off the bench. But they'll also have to consider his defensive shortcomings.
Iman Shumpert
Shumpert was waived by the Brooklyn Nets in December after forward Wilson Chandler returned from a 25-game suspension. The 6-foot-5 wing didn't provide much offensively but was a solid perimeter defender in the short time he spent in Brooklyn. During his 13-game spell, Shumpert posted a 2.2% steal percentage, which ranked in the 96th percentile among forwards, according to Cleaning the Glass.
The 29-year-old has the length and foot speed to guard multiple positions and would provide defensive wing depth. Additionally, Shumpert's just one year removed from starting 40 games for the Sacramento Kings, where he was praised by their young core for his leadership.
