LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers can use all the help they can get in an effort to dethrone the Golden State Warriors. One such need for the reigning Eastern Conference champs is help in a scoring role off the bench and Jamal Crawford theoretically would have filled that role quite snugly.
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However, it appears as if that won't be an option after all, as Crawford is reportedly heading to the Minnesota Timberwolves with a two-year, $8.9 million contract that includes a player option on the second season.
Sources: Crawford plans to sign with Minnesota on a two-year, $8.9M deal, with second year player option, once he clears waivers. https://t.co/q8kfKfQLXW
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 8, 2017
Crawford recently reached a buyout with the Atlanta Hawks after being traded as part of a three-team deal that sent Danilo Gallinari to the Los Angeles Clippers. It was well known that Crawford preferred another destination after landing in Atlanta but, on Saturday, Cleveland's hopes of adding a dynamic bench scorer evaporated.
On the Minnesota side, Crawford helps a depleted bench in a big way.
Crawford has scored the most bench points in the NBA the last 5 seasons.
The Timberwolves ranked last in bench scoring last season. https://t.co/Jb4Yj8ajpv
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) July 8, 2017
Part of Minnesota's lack of bench production stems from the fact that head coach Tom Thibodeau leans heavily on his starters in a way that few do in today's NBA. Still, an addition like this one could help to ease the workload of Jimmy Butler, Andrew Wiggins and Jeff Teague, which isn't a bad thing at this stage.
Now, attention shifts to just what else the Cavs can do before the 2017-2018 season begins.
