Could the 2014 Sixth Man of the Year really be on his way out of Los Angeles?
If the Los Angeles Clippers want to make a move before the trade deadline, they're going to need to create some flexibility. As a result, the team has reportedly made sixth man Jamal Crawford available in trade talks, per ESPN's Arash Markazi, though a deal is not imminent.
Trading Crawford would be a major move for a Clippers team that's seeking its first trip to the NBA Finals. A two-time winner of the league's Sixth Man of the Year award -- including last season with Los Angeles -- he's one of the most potent bench scorers in the league and a pivotal part of the Clippers' second unit.
The team could use some help, though, especially on the wings, and for a team without many options, that means considering something drastic like dealing a key rotation player. Crawford's talents would surely be missed, but it's possible the team can find a better fit for making it through the Western Conference gauntlet.
Could L.A. really deal the 2014 Sixth Man of the Year for a different kind of support? Let's take a look.
Why it makes sense
For a team with championship aspirations, it's not completely apparent that the Clippers are good enough to win it all. Unfortunately, they don't really have the assets to add another piece right now without getting creative and doing something like dealing Crawford.
If some team is willing to give up a first-round pick or something of similar value for one of the game's best sixth men, then L.A. may view it as a chance to get an asset it can flip for a player who fills a greater need. The Clippers have the league's best offense partially because of Crawford's knack for scoring, but it's possible the team thinks it can lose a little on that end while becoming more balanced in general.
As electric a scorer as Crawford is coming off the bench, he's shooting 39 percent from the field and doesn't contribute much on the defensive end. He's also averaging over 21 points per 36 minutes, so there would be a serious workload to replace, but the whole idea of moving Crawford would be to get a different piece that fits better. If a new wing can make up part of that scoring while contributing more elsewhere, it could get the Clippers that much closer to a title.
For a team that's using Matt Barnes and Hedo Turkoglu at small forward, it might be time to stir up the pot.
Why it doesn't make sense
Contenders usually don't trade their best players as a means of improving. Even if there are glaring needs elsewhere on the roster, it would be practically impossible for the team to replace Crawford's scoring punch. And while hypothetical scenarios about improving defensively are nice to consider, it would be risky to take away one of the offenses's most important pieces.
Crawford isn't a franchise cornerstone like Chris Paul or Blake Griffin, but he's pretty clearly one of the most important players on the roster given his impact on the second unit. When the key guys are out, Crawford comes in and torches backups regularly, making it that much harder for opponents to keep up once the All-Stars are back on the court.
The Clippers' second unit has enough issues even with Crawford in the mix, largely because there's little depth beyond the top seven or eight guys. That's not really something dealing Crawford could fix, even if it potentially gave the team a piece that fits slightly better. This late into the season, it would be a serious risk dealing Crawford without necessarily fixing the biggest thing that ails L.A. anyways.
Likelihood: 2 out of 10
There's just too much uncertainty for a trade to come together. The Clippers would not only need to find a deal for Crawford, but figure out how to use those assets in order to acquire another win-now player. That's a lot of moving pieces a day before deadline, and it would require some serious ingenuity from L.A.'s management. Even if the team is currently fielding calls on Crawford, that's a long way from actually dealing the guard.
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