Milwaukee Bucks Rumors: Bucks among teams interested in Jamal Crawford

The Milwaukee Bucks are one of a number of teams said to have interest in soon to be traded Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford.

Although the Milwaukee Bucks remain incredibly restricted in terms of both roster spots and cap space, the team continues to be linked to notable players around the NBA.

Having reportedly met with Derrick Rose on Monday, Milwaukee is now said to have an interest in another veteran.

According to a report from ESPN, the Bucks are one of a number of NBA teams who have considered Jamal Crawford, the current Clippers guard who has widely been reported to be a part of a Danilo Gallinari sign-and-trade package which should be completed in the coming days.

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The landing spot for Crawford in that trade would be the Atlanta Hawks, a former team of his, but with the 37-year-old in the latter stages of his career, a trade or buyout could well be on the cards for him to find his way to a more competitive team.

As Chris Haynes and Marc Spears explained:

"“Sources informed ESPN that Crawford would seek a buyout and the Warriors would be the front-runners for his services if they still possessed the taxpayer midlevel exception of $5.2 million. Crawford has two years and $29 million remaining on his contract, but the final year is partially guaranteed. He has made nearly $135 million over his 17-year career.As of now, though, Atlanta would not be willing to facilitate a buyout unless Crawford gives back a significant portion of his salary, sources say. The Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks have had conversations about the possibility of acquiring Crawford, league sources say.”"

Crawford is a three-time winner of the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award, and still a more than capable bench scorer in his later years.

It’s not all that surprising that teams would be interested in picking up Crawford, but even with a partial guarantee for the final year, his current contract is expensive.

With Milwaukee facing the pressures of having to move salary just to avoid the luxury tax, it’s hard to imagine how the Bucks would be able to comfortably absorb Crawford’s current deal in a trade.

If he becomes a free agent via a buyout with the Hawks, he may then make for a more realistic target, although that scenario would also likely see the Bucks face stern competition from teams with a more immediate chance to compete for a title.

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Either way, the Bucks continue to have interest in offensive-minded veterans, and they still need to make trades to make any further acquisitions remotely possible.