Could Dan Gilbert and the Cleveland Cavaliers use another shooter?
Ideally the answer would be yes; but the next question is, can they afford one?
The Cavs are one of many teams trying to figure out how to fit their team salary budget without having to fall prey to the dreaded luxury tax penalties. As everyone knows, the Cavs may have used that all up on their big three — LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving. And that list doesn't even include Tristan Thompson who has not signed up yet for at least the coming season.
This is the question in mind since there is a player who could fit into the Cavs fold. He is no other than Jamal Crawford, who seems to be the odd man out of the Los Angeles Clippers rotation this coming season.
Known as a wing man who can drop it from three-point country, Crawford could be the solution to the Cavs' woes from the bench. Such was a concern in the recent NBA Finals where James carried the brunt of the scoring load for the Cavs.
With no Love and Irving to help out, the Cavs sorely lacked a second scoring option and someone who can hit it from deep. Crawford could fill in that void.
However, there are a lot of ifs before such could materialize. Despite reported talks on possibly seeing Crawford land in Ohio, his signing could depend on two players — Thompson and J.R. Smith.
Thompson has yet to sign and was reportedly seeking a max contract. But the latest word is that Thompson could be gearing for a one-year deal, roughly around $6 million, and opt for a longer and richer contract next year.
The reason for this is the expected salary cap hikes set to be instilled by the NBA.
Then there is J.R. Smith who had opted out of his previous deal with the obvious intent of getting a richer contract. If that is the intent, Smith could end up agreeing to lower pay if he intends to rejoin the Cavs.
Enter Crawford who costs less than Smith's previous contract. Although his production had diminished immensely with the Clippers, Crawford can light it up with some work. He has proven that before with his previous teams, so seeing him do it again in Cleveland is a possibility.
So will the Cavs sign up Crawford or Smith? How about both, but probably if they have the salary budget to do so.
