Draymond Green and Kevin Durant are lobbying Warriors general manager Bob Myers to sign veteran guard Jamal Crawford this offseason, according to a report by Marcus Thompson of The Athletic. Stephen Curry and some other assistant coaches are reportedly on board with acquiring Crawford as well.
According to Thompson, the lobbying will be enough to “get Myers on the phone with Crawford’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, when the free agency period begins at 9 p.m. on Saturday.”
Whether or not Crawford is a good fit for the Warriors depends on your perspective. On one hand, Crawford, 38, is an older player that would be joining a Golden State team looking to get younger. Crawford is not a good or versatile defender, and shot just 33.1 percent from 3-point range last season.
On the other hand, Crawford can still score, averaging 10.3 points in 20.7 minutes off the bench last season. Reliable bench scoring has been a problem for the Warriors for nearly the entire Kerr era. The last Warrior to average double-figures off the bench was Jarrett Jack in 2012-13.
Crawford is also known as an excellent locker room guy with high character, who is respected by a number of current Warriors. Crawford won the Teammate of the Year award in 2018.
The Warriors could offer Crawford either all or part of their taxpayer mid-level exception worth $5.3 million next year, or the veteran minimum, worth about $2.4 million.