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Despite the signings of Jerryd Bayless, Ben Simmons, and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, the Philadelphia 76ers still have upwards of $50 million in space as they look to even sniff the salary cap floor. One target the Sixers are reportedly throwing big money at: Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford.
Hearing Philadelphia has made a significant offer to Jamal Crawford
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) July 3, 2016
I can confirm this. And I'll say this: SIGNIFICANT. https://t.co/64bhLWL197
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 3, 2016
Seeing as those in the know are really harping on the word "significant", one could guess Philadelphia offered him a one-year max or something in the ballpark of a two year deal worth $40 million. The 36-year old Crawford has 16 years of NBA service, so a max deal would pay him just under $31 million a year. That sounds like a ton -- and it certainly is -- but overpaying a stopgap on a short-term deal is certainly better than locking themselves in on a four year contract for average players like the Portland Trail Blazers did with Evan Turner, and the Los Angeles Lakers did with Luol Deng. A max deal for Crawford still wouldn't stop them from making other moves in free agency, nor taking on some salary via a trade.
The Seattle native averaged 14.2 points in 79 games for the Clippers, shooting 40.4 percent from the field and 34 percent from three-point range. Seeing as how the Sixers roster is currently constructed, the notion of Crawford running the second unit as the de-facto point guard isn't the worst thing in the world. Even after all these years, he's a crafty ball handler who can still knock down pull up jumpers, and he's considered one of the better locker room guys in the league.
Alex Kennedy also reported Crawford has a handful of other suitors, but Philadelphia's big money offer may be too much to pass up.