Miami Heat Trade Rumors: Jamal Crawford Trade Possible With LA Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers Want Crawford Too

Miami Heat trade rumors involve Jamal Crawford and the LA Clippers. Miami wants to trade for Crawford, but it is also being reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers want him. The Clippers are in an interesting position now, as Crawford has suddenly become a hot commodity on the trade market. A report from Cleveland on Monday (July 6) states the front office in Miami has reached out to Clippers management in an effort to bring more scoring to South Beach.

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Heat 2015 draft picks Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson have looked good during the NBA Summer League. They are still going to be rookies in their first NBA season, though, meaning it’s unclear what the team can expect to see from them. It also means that these Miami Heat rumors make sense, especially if the team can acquire a scorer like Jamal Crawford without giving up too much talent in return. He could be a huge spark plug off the bench and fill in if Dwyane Wade misses any games.

Last season with the LA Clippers (his third in Los Angeles), Crawford averaged 15.8 points on 26.6 minutes a game. His averages were down a bit, and he also shot just 39.6 percent from the field. That included hitting on just 32.7 percent of his three-point attempts. There will still games where he helped carry the Clippers in the fourth quarter and he was superb from the free throw line again (90.1 percent). The 2015-16 NBA season will be the final one for Crawford under his current deal, and he will make just under $5.7 million.

Now, it’s clear that these Miami Heat trade rumors don’t include what the team would have to give up in return. Since the team is already over the salary cap, it requires that the Heat give up salaries that would match that of Crawford. Chris Anderson on his own, or a combination of Udonis Haslem and someone like Henry Walker could get the deal done. It’s not that glamorous and probably won’t work if the Clippers are just trying to dump salary.

The Cleveland Cavaliers could give up Brendan Haywood in exchange for Crawford, and Haywood’s contract is non-guaranteed. It means that the Clippers could then release him and wouldn’t be ont he hook for any of the salary. These Miami Heat rumors seem like a longshot when compared to what the Cavs can do, but getting Crawford would certainly be a huge step to competing in the Eastern Conference again.

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