Warriors Rumors: Golden State Interested in Free Agent Jamal Crawford
By Andrew Ites
The Warriors are reportedly interested in bringing in an experienced shotmaker this offseason as they’re taking a close look at Jamal Crawford.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe is reporting that there is mutual interest between the Warriors and Jamal Crawford in making a return to Golden State next season.
Angelo Mendoza wrote about the possibility of the Warriors targeting Crawford in free agency about a week ago, and now it looks like Golden State is moving forward with that plan.
Lowe reports that the Warriors are looking to sign Jamal Crawford to a veteran minimum deal, even though they are willing and able to use their mini-mid level exception to sign a free agent this offseason.
Lowe says that Crawford may be looking for more than a minimum deal, but Golden State won’t be the team that gives him more than the veteran minimum, which will be a decent number for the 18-year vet.
Crawford played 54 games for the Warriors back in the 2008-09 season where he averaged 19.7 points and 4.4 assists per game.
More from Blue Man Hoop
- 3x champion may come to regret forgoing Golden State Warriors reunion
- Golden State Warriors: History shows USA may need Stephen Curry for more than the Olympics
- 7 players Golden State Warriors might replace Klay Thompson with by the trade deadline
- Golden State Warriors villain pours on more pain to end USA’s World Cup
- Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry continues philanthropic efforts off the court
The 38-year-old guard’s statistics have dipped a bit over the last decade of his career.
Crawford played 20.7 minutes per game for Minnesota last season averaging 10.3 points and 2.3 assists per night with an unspectacular true shooting percentage of 51.9%.
I don’t think Crawford would be a great fit for this Golden State team.
He is still able to create his own shot, but the Warriors don’t really need that skill with four other All-Stars on the team.
Golden State needs a player who can play above-average defense and hit open three-pointers playing off the ball. Crawford doesn’t bring either of those skills as he shot 33.1% from three last season and was the league’s worst shooting guard on the defensive end according to ESPN’s real plus-minus.
Next: What are the Warriors’ Biggest Decisions this Offseason?
Signing Jamal Crawford to a minimum contract would be a decent deal for the Warriors, but he’s not a perfect fit for this team.
Here are our profiles of some other possible free agent targets: