Jamal Crawford officially signs deal with the Phoenix Suns
Oct 17, 2018, 1:05 PM | Updated: 4:37 pm
Minnesota Timberwolves' Jamal Crawford plays against the Memphis Grizzlies in the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, April 9, 2018, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
(AP Photo/Jim Mone)
Veteran guard Jamal Crawford has officially joined the Phoenix Suns roster, signing a contract with the team on Wednesday, according to the team website.
The news comes after Crawford visited Phoenix on Friday and, according to 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s John Gambadoro, was offered a veterans minimum that slots in at $2.4 million per year.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania was first to report the move.
The 38-year-old Crawford brings another respected presence to the team in desperate need for ball-handling. He averaged 10.3 points and 2.3 assists per game on 41.5 percent shooting from the field for the Minnesota Timberwolves last year.
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A three-time Sixth Man of the Year Award winner in his 18 NBA seasons, Crawford could slot into a starting point guard spot to alleviate all the ball-handling pressure expected to be set on shooting guard Devin Booker’s plate.
Though he is not a traditional point guard and known as a microwave bench scorer in the latter half of his career, Crawford does have experience playing point guard and gives Phoenix another tool in head coach Igor Kokoskov’s passing-oriented offense.
The Suns officially waived Davon Reed on Wednesday, along with Darrell Arthur and Shaquille Harrison on Monday in preparation to finalize the roster for the start of the 2018-19 season as reported by The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
NBA teams must announce 15-man rosters by 2 p.m. MST on Monday. As of Wednesday morning, Phoenix has 16 players under contract, though George King’s two-way deal does not contribute to the 15-man limit that must be met.
