Jamal Crawford agrees to a two year deal with Portland Trail Blazers – NBA Update
Ever since the free agency started, Atlanta Hawks player Jamal Crawford was one of the most sought after shooting guard in the league. His value became even more after Jason Richardson – the other elite shooting guard in the agency
- was re-signed by Orlando Magic.
On Wednesday night, the guard was roped in by the Portland Trail Blazers. The deal, which is worth $ 10 million, is for two years with Crawford holding the option for the second.
In doing so, the Trail Blazers fought off competition from the likes of Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks and the Sacramento Kings. The Pacers had reportedly offered Crawford the same amount for two years, but the Kings took it to
$6.5 million per season to stand a chance. The Knicks, already overstretched by the heavy contracts of Carmelo Anthony, Amare’ Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler, had offered the least amount - $ 5 million for two years.
Jamal however went with the Trail Blazers and announced his destination by posting "Rip city!!!" on twitter.
Chad Buchanan, Portland's acting general manager late confirmed the signing;
"We've thought highly of Jamal for a long time and think he's a great fit for our team," said Chad. "He brings a scorer's touch and veteran leadership that will help us immediately."
Crawford, 31, is an accumulate option at the wing. He has a niche of producing killer crossovers and not only is he a dynamic perimeter shooter; he can stretch the court as well. With Brandon Roy no longer a part of the setup at
Portland, his role becomes all the more important.
Roy, who is going to hang his boots due to the degenerative knee issues, was officially amnestied by the Trail Blazers and it was the cap space created by that move that help Portland in landing Crawford. This means that Crawford
will have to share the position with Wesley Mathews.
Wesley spoke to Crawford last night and termed his inclusion in the team as a good omen;
"I'm excited about it," Matthews said. "He wants to come and win and that's what we're about. We can coexist at the same time, similar to what they did in Atlanta with Joe Johnson and him".
Crawford has mostly been used as a reserve in his career, in which he has posted 15.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. In fact, he is so effective off the bench that in 2010, he won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year
award.
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