Hawks Waive Jamal Crawford - Signs With Wolves For 2 Years $9 Million

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Jamal Crawford finalizes buyout with Hawks

Guard Jamal Crawford has finalized his contract buyout with the Atlanta Hawks, league sources told The Vertical.

The Minnesota Timberwolves plan to speak to Crawford, and the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards have interest as well, league sources said.

The Hawks acquired Crawford in a three-team deal that sent Danilo Gallinari to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Crawford, 37, has played 17 seasons with Chicago, New York, Golden State, Atlanta, Portland and the Los Angeles Clippers. He has averaged 15.3 points and 3.5 assists for his career.

He was selected eighth overall in the 2000 NBA draft.

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Jamal Crawford to sign with Wolves after clearing waivers, sources say

Jamal Crawford has agreed to sign with the Minnesota Timberwolves after he clears waivers on Monday, sources told ESPN on Saturday.

The deal is for two years and $9 million and includes a second-year player option, sources said.

Crawford reached a buyout agreement with the Atlanta Hawks on Friday after he was acquired from the LA Clippers via a trade.

A number of teams were interested in Crawford, but the Wolves presented a large role as they try to end a 13-year playoff drought. He joins a major influx of veteran talent to Minnesota this summer following a trade for Jimmy Butler and the signings of Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague.

Tom Thibodeau, Minnesota's president of basketball operations and coach, thinks Crawford will work well with the Wolves.

"Obviously, nothing is final yet. We're hopeful to get a guy like that, and if we're fortunate to get a guy like Jamal, I think he has been Sixth Man in the league three times since 2010, that explosive-type scorer who can come off the bench, put a lot of pressure on people, and his veteran experience and the fact that he has been around and been in a lot of big games," Thibodeau told SiriusXM. "I think we all know what he is. I love his passion for the game, and if we were fortunate enough to get him, he'd be a great fit for us."

Crawford had to give up some previously guaranteed money in securing the buyout, and salary was a factor in choosing a new team, sources said.

The Wolves are just below the salary cap but have their $4.3 million "room mid-level exception" they can use in whole or part on Crawford.

Crawford, who is about to enter his 18th season, averaged 12.3 points and shot 36 percent from 3-point range in 82 games for the Clippers last season. A three-time winner of the Sixth Man of the Year award, he has averaged 14.7 PPG off the bench the past five seasons with the Clippers, scoring over 900 bench points more than the next closest player in that span, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

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Twolves hear their roar!