Thirty-eight-year-old shooting guard Jamal Crawford has declined his $4.5 million player option with the Minnesota Timberwolves to become a free agent, reports Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports:
Minnesota's Jamal Crawford has declined his $4.5M player option for 2018-19 season, league sources tell Yahoo. Crawford averaged 10.3 points in 20.7 minutes for T'Wolves last season.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 18, 2018
Crawford may be 38 years old, but he still has a lot in common with the player he was in his prime – the player who won three Sixth Man of the Year awards. Crawford is still one of the NBA’s very best ball-handlers and difficult-shot-makers. He’s definitely not a starter at this point, but he could be a terrific option as a punch of offense off the bench for a contending team.
It’s highly likely the Golden State Warriors make a run at Crawford in free agency. They went after him last summer, but Crawford turned them down in favor of Minnesota. He told CSN Bay Area that he picked the Wolves instead of the Warriors or Cleveland Cavaliers because:
“At this point of my career, I could easily chase a championship. I’m not saying we won’t compete, but it’s not about that. I want to take the journey and go through the wars with these guys. The Cavs, they’ve been there. Those guys know what it’s like to be in the Finals and win a championship. The Warriors, same deal. If I went there and let’s say we happen to win, what’s next? Sometimes it’s more gratifying to help teams go from one point to another point.”
It will be interesting to see whether Crawford will have that same mindset this offseason, or whether he’s decided to chase that championship ring that has thus far remained elusive.
