Jamal Crawford has played for many teams in his NBA career, and the Boston Celtics could be the next stop for the 18-year veteran.
The 38-year-old guard and the Celtics have “mutual interest,” The Athletic’s Jared Weiss said during Sunday’s episode of “Celtics Beat” on the CLNS Media Network.
“There is mutual interest between the Celtics and Crawford. That I do know, ” Weiss said. “The Celtics didn’t make an offer to him. He’s been kind of waiting for the right situation to materialize. That’s why he’s holding out to training camp, basically. He wants to be in a position to win a championship. He wants to sign on with one of these title teams.”
The Celtics don’t have an open roster spot right now, but one could become available when the Jabari Bird situation is resolved.
Crawford, who’s currently an unrestricted free agent, has been one of the best sixth men in the league since he was drafted in 2000. He’s been a very good scorer throughout his career and has not averaged fewer than 10 points per game since the 2001-02 season.
He spent last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging 10.3 points per game with 33.1 percent 3-point shooting and 90.1 percent free throw shooting.
The Celtics already have tremendous depth, especially in the backcourt, with Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart likely the first guards to come off the bench for head coach Brad Stevens. But it certainly wouldn’t hurt to add a veteran capable of providing instant scoring off the bench. Crawford’s excellent foul shooting makes him a good late-game option, too.
