NBA Trade Rumors - Miami Heat Wants Jordan Crawford As Backcourt Help; Will Boston Make Their Rivals Stronger?
The Miami Heat are the defending champions in the NBA and they are second in the Eastern Conference behind the Indiana Pacers. They are heavy favorites to repeat, but they are not a perfect fit by a long shot.
They have a lot of holes in their line-up even then, but Lebron James' overwhelming presence can fill up the gaps. However, during their last playoff run, strong challenges by the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs, they begin to think about retooling.
There are also other issues. Dwyane Wade has been injured, and spent the summer rehabilitating. The extent of Wade's injury has never been fully disclosed. The Heat is suspiciously weary of this.
One of the fastest rising stars on the Eastern Conference is Jordan Crawford. He plays a big part in Boston's surprising start. They are not as shocking as Phoenix, but they have recently beaten the New York Knicks twice, the first time by 41 points. In a league supposedly run by superstars, the Celtics with Jeff Green and Jordan Crawford beat Carmelo Anthony and JR Smith.
Jordan Crawford first rose to fame as the college player who dunked on Lebron during his Nike Skills Academy. It became a big deal when Nike tried to whitewash the incident, but it was posted on Youtube and social networks.
Perhaps Lebron still remembers that, and he would rather have Crawford on his team. But that's not going to be easy now that he won Eastern Conference Player of the Week and is considered as the league's best mid-range shooter.
From Mitch Lawrence of NY Daily News: "Miami is looking to deal for a young wing player who can score and take some of the load off Dwyane Wade. A few GMs have identified Boston's Jordan Crawford as a player the Heat will go after in the coming days/weeks."
It is speculated that the Miami Heat may need a third team to acquire Crawford. They don't have assets to offer. Their first round pick will be very late (27-30th overall), and Joel Anthony has near zero value. The only way for Celts to agree is if the Heat take a bad contract (Gerald Wallace) in return.
More developments will arise in the coming weeks.
