Clippers Off-Season 2016: Jamal Crawford To Meet With Orlando First

According to Alex Kennedy of BasketballInsiders, Jamal Crawford will meet with the Orlando Magic when free agency opens on July 1st.  Crawford is well-liked, respected, and connected around the league, and it's no surprise that a bunch of teams are looking for him as a veteran presence and bench scorer.

Unrestricted free agent Jamal Crawford will meet with the Orlando Magic on July 1, according to sources. The two sides will meet in L.A.

— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) June 30, 2016

Crawford will also reportedly be in touch with the New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, and Clippers when free agency opens.

Jamal Crawford to talk with Clippers, New York, Orlando, Dallas, Miami when free agency starts, per source.

— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) June 29, 2016

Jamal scored 14 points a game last season off the bench and showed that he can still create offensively, despite his waning efficiency.  At age 36, he's unlikely to receive a long-term deal, so teams could be viewing him as a reliable, high-character option for just one or two seasons.

While the Clippers are going to focus on Kevin Durant as their first priority, there shouldn't be too great of a risk of losing Crawford during the first few hours of free agency.  He's long said that his plan is to hear out every offer, even if he has conversations with all 30 teams, and he's stated that his preference is to remain a Clipper.  Hopefully that will buy the Clippers enough time that they won't lose Crawford to a team like Orlando if they end up missing out on Kevin Durant.