On Saturday evening, the Timberwolves reportedly agreed to sign veteran combo guard Jamal Crawford to bolster their bench. Was this the move the Wolves needed to make?
Up until this weekend, the Timberwolves had struck out in their quest for wing depth.
J.J. Redick signed a monster one-year deal in Philadelphia. P.J. Tucker is in Houston. Rudy Gay headed to San Antonio. Kyle Korver signed a three-year contract to stay in Cleveland. Vince Carter joined the Kings. Nick Young and Omri Casspi signed on with the Warriors.
Earlier in the week, the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, and Denver Nuggets consummated a three-way trade that saw Jamal Crawford head from L.A. to Hotlanta. The Hawks agreed to buy-out Crawford, and the three-time Sixth Man of the Year award-winner will hit the open market.
The past couple of days have included a series of rumors regarding where Crawford may ultimately end-up. The choice was reportedly down to Minnesota, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. A combination of the amount of money the Cavs were willing to offer Crawford and the role that the veteran will have with the Wolves apparently convinced him to agree to a deal with Tom Thibodeau and Co.
So, what’s this fit look like? Is it a good move?
Let’s start with the facts: Crawford is old, has always been a bad defender, and wasn’t very good last year in what was his age-36 season. He’s also one of the best sixth-men in recent memory, and his 36 percent three-point shooting would have been third-best on the Timberwolves a year ago if you exclude Gorgui Dieng, who only attempted 0.5 threes per game.
As recently as 2014-15, Crawford was a fantastic bench piece and a dynamic pick-and-roll leader off the bench for Doc Rivers’ Clippers. Each of the last two seasons, however, he’s shot less three-pointers and more long-twos, and his defense has slipped from poor to horrendous.
All of that said, the Timberwolves backup back court prior to this reported signing consisted of Tyus Jones — and that’s it. More moves are to be made, of course, but Crawford’s shooting and ability to score in bunches will be an intriguing fit that will hopefully encourage Thibodeau to rest Andrew Wiggins and Jimmy Butler depending on match-ups, scoring margins, and just plain fatigue.
As Darren Wolfson notes, Crawford not only played with Cole Aldrich in L.A., but apparently “loves” him.
We're aware of the recruiting Thibs/Butler did w/ Crawford. Other connections: he loves Aldrich, + ass't GM Noah Croom worked w/ his agent.
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) July 8, 2017
You may recall that the Crawford-Aldrich pick-and-roll was deadly for the Clippers just a couple of years ago. Aldrich’s best seasons were with the Clippers, and Crawford is most useful with the ball in his hands. As inefficient as long two-pointers are, Crawford is moderately effective when pulling up from mid-range, shooting 42.9 percent from beyond 16 feet but inside the arc over the last four seasons.
It’s probably a 50-50 shot at this point that Aldrich is even on the roster come fall, as the Wolves are undoubtedly still attempting to add more wing players (namely, C.J. Miles), and Aldrich’s $7 million contract and team option for 2018-19 will be the next thing to go. But if he stays, he has a fan in Crawford, and don’t be surprised if some of the Clippers magic from past years is revived on a short-minute basis in Minneapolis.
Is Crawford the best fit for the Timberwolves? No. It’s entirely possible that he’s cooked and will be even worse this year then he was last season. But he’s consistently a league-average three-point shooter and a savvy veteran that could win a game or two with instant offense off the bench.
At this point in free agency, it’s hard to see this as a bad signing, although it’s certainly not ideal. Remember, the second-year of this deal has a player option, and if Crawford plays well but the Wolves under-perform, don’t be surprised if he jets in a year.
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At the end of the day, Crawford is simply a shell of the player he was even two years ago. But this is the type of player that Wolves bench needed: a high-usage, instant-offense producing guard. And don’t ignore the success that Tom Thibodeau had with older veteran guards in Chicago, either.