Jamal Crawford (Photo : Twitter)
The Los Angeles Clippers' acquisition of Paul Pierce and Lance Stephenson has placed Crawford's place in the pecking order in question.
However, many teams still have a legitimate need for instant offense of f the bench, and perhaps no one in the league is better than J-Crossover. Coach Doc Rivers understands this, and he went public to deny the trade rumors.
"I've heard all the rumors about Jamal going other places," the coach stated on Fred Roggin on the Beast 980 . "Jamal's a Clipper and I would be very surprised if he's not a Clipper by the season's end."
Yet, Basketball Insiders aired some doubt on this. "While Rivers is taking the stance that Crawford is not likely to be traded, we have heard coaches and general managers say the same thing about other players, who were subsequently traded anyway. So while it's possible that Crawford stays with the Clippers this season, he will still be made available if the right trade presents itself."
The key in his response is "the right trade." That's exactly what the Clips are waiting for. Rivers will always deny a trade, that's par for the course to gain leverage.
On the other hand, there were already teams expressing interest for Crawford who is known to deliver in the clutch. Legitimate and aspiring contenders see a player like Crawford as a valuable asset come playoff time. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat have been rumored before, and now we have the Chicago Bulls courtesy of veteran writer Sam Smith.
In his mailbag column on the Bulls home page, one fan asked about possibly trading for the prolific shooting guard.
"(Crawford has a)Pretty reasonable salary in this era with about $6 million and becoming a free agent. Speculation will come up about Gibson as it has already and will with pretty much every available player until the trading deadline. That likely will depend on the adjustment of Bobby Portis. If he comes fast, OK, but you are competing with the Cavs in the East and they've gotten bigger and more physical. You better think twice before giving up one of your power guys to rely on a rookie, and the Bulls also have to see about Noah's health."
From the looks of it, Doc Rivers would want Taj in exchange, since the Clips are short of frontcourt players. The Bulls, at present, think it's too steep.
"The Clippers say for now they want value, which makes sense. But once the season starts and if Jamal is not playing things can change fast. I'd sure take a chance if I could. Jamal's also one of the better people and locker room guys around the NBA. And a guy who is accustomed to being a reserve player and not a starter."
