LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — When the Brooklyn Nets boarded their plane out of New York on Tuesday, there were only 12 healthy players on board. But reinforcements are coming. Jamal Crawford is signing with the Nets for the remainder of the season, league sources told ESPN.
Crawford, 40, will fill one of the Nets’ three vacant substitute roster spots. Crawford is eligible to be signed after Brooklyn had three players — Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan and Taurean Prince — test positive for the coronavirus. All three have been ruled out for the season restart in Orlando, Florida. Wilson Chandler, citing familial obligations, also did not make the trip. The team signed forward Justin Anderson in his place.
Now the Nets have two roster spots available to be filled.
According to NBA rules, Crawford could fly or drive to Florida. If he hasn’t been tested regularly since June 23 — when the league started testing players every other day — he will need to quarantine and be tested every day for a week in Orlando before he will be eligible to join his new teammates on the court.
Crawford hasn’t played in the NBA in the 2019-20 season. He most recently played for the Phoenix Suns and scored 51 points in the last game he played in 2019. The 20-year veteran has averaged 14.6 points and 2.2 rebounds per game over the course of his career.
The deal was first reported by The Athletic.
The Nets arrived in Orlando on Tuesday as one of the 22 NBA teams scheduled to resume games on July 30. They are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, a half-game ahead of the Orlando Magic, who currently hold the final playoff spot.
Courtesy: ESPN
