Jamal Crawford decides to opt out of his contract with Portland Trail Blazers – NBA News
Former ‘Sixth Man of the year’ Jamal Crawford has decided to opt out of his contract with the Portland Trail Blazers and become a free agent this summer.
The news does not come as a surprise as Crawford never looked comfortable in Portland and his game also seemed to be affected.
Talking to Seattle television stations KING, Crawford said:
“I’m a free agent, so I’m excited about what’s there moving forward. There will be a lot of teams out there with a lot of interest. I’ll sit back after (free agency opens in July) and see what happens.”
Crawford was a free agent last year but did not find the deal he was hoping for in a lock-out affected postseason. After the lockout was enforced, agents and teams could not contact players for offers which also affected his hunt
for a new team and a rewarding contract.
He signed with the Portland Trail Blazers just before the season started for a two year contract worth $5 million a year with the option of opting out of the second year. Crawford felt like he was underpaid on the contract after
having been a former 6th man of the year. However, due to lack of options, he signed with Portland.
Crawford had a mediocre season with the Trail Blazers, averaging 14 points a game and shooting 38.4% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc. He previously played for the Atlanta Hawks where he had a terrific season which landed
him the 6th man of the year trophy.
Now, he has decided to take the leap back into free agency with the hopes of signing a better contract with a team where he feels he can give a better performance. At 32, Crawford has some good years of basketball ahead of him
and prospects of him finding a good role in a basketball team are high.
However, it remains to be seen how much value teams will give to a decent role player. There will certainly be bidder for his talent, with New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics on the top of the list.
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