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11/22/2024 12:42:37 am

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NBA Trade Rumors: Miami Heat Sets Eyes On Jamal Crawford?

Jamal Crawford (#11)

(Photo : Getty Images) Los Angeles Clippers' Jamal Crawford (#11) drives past Milwaukee Bucks' O.J. Mayo during an NBA regular season game.

The Miami Heat are setting their sights on acquiring two-time Sixth Man of the Year winner Jamal Crawford from the Los Angeles Clippers as a backcourt insurance whenever Dwayne Wade will be out due to rest or injury, as per the Northeast Ohio Media Group.

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Most of the time, though, Crawford is highly anticipated to play backup for the three-time NBA champion, providing the Heat with a much-needed scoring punch off the bench.

Last season, the 35-year-old wingman averaged 15.8 points in 26.6 minutes a night as the Clips' primary substitute but had done so shooting only 39.6 percent from the field. He was reliable from the charity stripe, though, with a 90.1 percent mark for the whole regular season.

According to Bleacher Report's Dan Favale, the Clippers are planning to use the 15-year veteran as a trade bait to possibly snag a center that would replace their prized seven-footer DeAndre Jordan, who reportedly bolted out to Dallas with a four-year, $80 million deal.

While there are allegedly many Crawford suitors at present, Favale noted that some teams might be wary of the shooting guard's age and the fact that he is coming off a season where "he missed more than 15 games for the first time since 2008-09" due to nagging injuries.

Apparently, the Heat is not concerned of Crawford's numbers and alleged injuries. They just wanted to have a reliable scoring backup for D-Wade next season.

One of Miami's top trade candidates for Crawford's services would be their 37-yeard-old center-forward Chris Andersen. Both players' contracts are almost identical in the $5 million a year range and so there would be no issues in a one-on-one swap.

NBC Sports' Pro Basketball Talk reported that the Heat are "willing to give away" Andersen and point guard Mario Chalmers to improve their roster and save themselves from tax expenses after finalizing two huge deals with Wade and Goran Dragic.

The Birdman averaged 5.3 points and 5 rebounds in only 19 minutes per game for Miami last season. While his offensive game had been declining, his defensive prowess is still there.

While he will surely not replace Jordan in the starting unit, Andersen can be useful for the Clippers as a backup center or power forward to maintain their defensive intensity for the whole duration of a game.

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