The LA Clippers may push for a Jamal Crawford trade this summer, as teams like the Miami Heat and New York Knicks are reportedly interested in a deal and this comes as Crawford's role may be much smaller for Doc Rivers with the Lance Stephenson trade and Josh Smith, Paul Pierce, Wesley Johnson and Pablo Prigioni signed to free agent contracts.
The Clippers have a stacked roster and while Crawford still will have a role off the bench, it is very much diminished with all the players LA signed. The new players will need their touches and that doesn't even account for players like Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and JJ Redick. Crawford reportedly is not happy with his new role and since he is coming into the final year of his deal, he could be a solid trade target for teams.
According to the Orange County Register, the Clippers do not want to give away Crawford without "getting something useful" back in the deal. The team could look for some guard depth or big man help up front with the deal, as the backups for Chris Paul right now are Austin Rivers and Prigioni. The team has Redick and Lance Stephenson at shooting guard and with Crawford also on the team, the Clippers could try and move him for another guard that can play both positions. Either way, the Clippers aren't looking to just give away Crawford to another team.
The Knicks reportedly are interested in a move, as Frank Isola at the New York Daily News reports the team has "expressed interest" in a deal with the Clippers for Crawford. Fox Sports reports that the Knicks are also interested in Ricky Rubio, as the team would like to add some guard depth and experience on the roster. The team does not have much to deal, but Pro Basketball Talk reports that most likely eligible player the Knicks can trade is Jose Calderon.
Pro Basketball Talk writes that Calderon has "hinted" that the Clippers and Wolves would be interested in a deal for him. Ian Begley at ESPN NY reports that no deal is "imminent" for Calderon, but that doesn't mean a trade can't happen later in the season if Crawford and Calderon remain with their teams. Calderon could be an option for the Clippers, as they could deal with the money if they feel he is worth adding the depth for. Same goes for the Wolves with Calderon, as they may see that money as a small price to pay to get some space and move Rubio's contract for a deal with fewer years on it.
Either way, Crawford is a trade target this summer and he likely will continue to be an option for teams into the season if he is not traded now. The Miami Heat have been looking to trade Mario Chalmers and/or Chris Andersen all offseason to try and lower their tax bill and it comes after the team already traded Zoran Dragic and Shabazz Napier this summer.
Check here for more on the potential trade for Crawford and interest from other teams.
