The Warriors are interested in a reunion with Jamal Crawford

Things are really starting to get interesting in the NBA offseason. Free agency officially begins on July 1, meaning that the rumors are starting to come in hot.

The Golden State Warriors - who have five open spots on their roster - are involved in a lot of such rumors. And one of them is . . . well, not who I was expecting: Jamal Crawford.

According to a report by Marcus Thompson II at The Athletic, there are many players and front office members in the Warriors organization who are pushing for the team to sign Crawford. Here’s a key excerpt from the report:

Last year, a vouching from stars Draymond Green and Kevin Durant, and coach Steve Kerr, led to the Warriors taking a flyer on Nick Young. This year, an even stronger push is being made for Jamal Crawford.

Green and Durant are already lobbying. Stephen Curry is on board. Some of the assistant coaches want him, too. It will be enough to get Myers on the phone with Crawford’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, when the free agency period begins at 9 p.m. on Saturday.

Crawford, of course, has a history with the Warriors. He played 54 games with Golden State during the 2008-09 season, and quickly became a fan favorite with his ability to light up the scoreboard. Most notable was the 50-point game he had as a Warrior.

That said, this news is a bit of a mixed bag. There’s a lot to take in, on both sides of things.

On the one hand, Crawford is simply not a very good basketball player anymore. He is one of the worst defensive players in the league, and his scoring efficiency has plummeted. His only remaining skill is his crossover and ability to get off a shot, but if you can’t make the shot, is getting it really a skill?

On the other hand, Golden State has loads of talent already. They have the privilege of needing to fill out their roster with the best players. If Crawford makes the stars happy, and increases the chemistry and energy of the team, then he’s worth a roster spot (presuming he’s not given too many minutes).

Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson may also feel like they’re carrying too much of a scoring and playmaking burden. Even though Crawford is inefficient, they may feel it makes their job easier (during the regular season) to have a player who can go get a shot, and let everyone else take the play off.

So you can see the justification for a Crawford reunion, even if he’s simply not a good player anymore.