Would adding Jamal Crawford make sense for the Celtics?

The Celtics have a full 15-man roster for the time being but that won’t necessarily be the case for long. Jabari Bird has taken a leave of absence from the team in the wake of facing a string of serious charges following a domestic violence incident and it’s pretty safe to say he won’t be playing another minute of basketball for the Celtics.

When exactly Bird does get let go is somewhat complicated since there are luxury tax implications involved for the franchise. The criminal process will have to play itself out for a bit there if the C’s want cap relief for whenever he is released. Whenever that does that happen (could be a matter of weeks or months), it’s evident that Danny Ainge will have one more roster spot to work with.

That reality has brought the Celtics back into the free agent frenzy to a degree over the past few days, specifically involved unrestricted guard Jamal Crawford. Marc Spears of The Undefeated was first to report last week that the veteran guard has received interest from the Sixers, Warriors and Lakers. Over the weekend, there was a report connecting him to the Celtics in a podcast appearance on Celtics Beat, which has set the Internet ablaze with speculation this afternoon about the 38-year-old guard.

Crawford turned down a $4.3 million player option with the Wolves for this season after averaging 10.3 points and 2.3 assists last year. There is no doubt that he can be a useful scorer off the bench but would he make much sense on the Celtics team as currently constructed? Is there legitimate smoke here?

The basic sentiment I get after looking at the current roster is no. Crawford wants to play for a winner, but he also wants to play regularly and there’s no clear path for him to do that in Boston right now. The Celtics are loaded in the backcourt with Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart and Terry Rozier. Crawford is going to have trouble beating out Rozier and Smart for regular rotation minutes. The C’s also added one of the best guards in Europe (Brad Wanamaker) to the bench, giving them another potential ballhandler off the pine. That’s a logjam already without adding Crawford to the mix.

Given the versatility that Brad Stevens like to employ on the defensive end, Crawford is really not a good fit in this defensive system either. He’s 6-foot-5 but is routinely targeted by opponents due to his age and lack of strength. That’s not a recipe for minutes in a place like Boston.

Seeing that the Celtics would have to add to their luxury tax penalty for carrying him on the roster ($1.50 for each dollar of his salary), it’s hard to envision him as an addition that is worth the cost for the time being. He doesn’t fill a pressing need, he’s going to want to play and he’s going to cost a few millions extra dollars in the tax even if he signs for the veteran’s minimum. Why not keep that roster spot open (assuming no injuries) if you are Ainge once Bird is cut loose?

The one variable that could change this situation? If the Celtics were going to make a roster move before the start of the regular season (i.e. trading Terry Rozier). Moving Rozier for a meaningful return that doesn’t necessarily help the team this year (i.e. a young player and/or a draft pick) would be a lot easier to swallow for Boston if it was accompanied by the addition of a guy like Crawford, who could pick up the scoring slack for the bench. I don’t expect the Celtics to move Rozier at this point unless they are blown away with an offer, but there are clearly a few teams around the league that could use him as an upgrade.

Barring an unlikely situation like that coming together in the next few weeks, don’t expect Crawford in green anytime soon. The Bird situation is going to take some time to get resolved and even then, the C’s can conceivably do better with that last roster spot once it gets opened up. Flexibility is always something that Ainge likes to have so signing Crawford to sit on the bench doesn’t make much sense for this group right now.

Ring chasing veterans like Crawford that are willing to play for the minimum will be more important in future seasons when the C’s will have to find low cost pieces for their bench to replace current bench players that are likely to become too costly in free agency next summer (Marcus Morris, Daniel Theis, Rozier). For now? The Celtics don’t have that problem. Crawford may want to be a Celtic, but the guess here is it’s not a two-way street...for now.