The Warriors have acquired guards Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks from the Celtics in a three-team trade, according to Yahoo! Sports.
As part of the deal, the Celtics are receiving center Joel Anthony, a protected first-round pick (originally owned by Philadelphia) and a future second-round pick from Miami. The Heat, in a money-saving move, are obtaining reserve guard Toney Douglas from Golden State. Anthony has a $3.8 million player option for next season, while Douglas will be a free agent in July after playing out his $1.6 million contract.
The Warriors are attempting to address their lack of ball handling beyond Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala, but the trade represents a rather sharp turn from the other trade targets reportedly connected to Golden State. Crawford is a world removed from the likes of Denver’s Andre Miller or Chicago’s Kirk Hinrich. Though skilled at creating his own shot off the dribble, Crawford is more of a solo shot creator than offensive orchestrator. Nevertheless, that’s valuable to a Warriors team that has been starved for bench production all season.
Crawford led Boston with 5.7 assists and ranked third on the team with 13.7 points. He is shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from three-point range. The fact that Crawford will be a restricted free agent at season’s end could allow Golden State to lock in a potentially useful reserve scorer if the fit is good.
The 25-year-old Crawford had been starting at point guard for the Celtics, who are preparing for Rajon Rondo’s return. The four-time All-Star point guard, who hasn’t played this season while recovering from a torn ACL, could make his season debut as early as Friday.