Report: Jamal Crawford would want to play for Cavaliers if possible

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Two-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford has made it clear he wishes he was a free agent, which would make joining the Cleveland Cavaliers - something he'd reportedly like to do - a heck of a lot easier.

"I know Jamal personally, and I know he would definitely like to be a part of the Cavaliers’ organization," said Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com.

"Jamal is one guy off the top of my head that I know would be a fit, and I know that they’ll be looking at him. They want to use that exception for a wing player."

The Cavaliers had previously been linked to the 35-year-old Clippers shooting guard, with the two teams having reportedly explored a Crawford-for-Brendan Haywood trade last month. Crawford is due $5.7 million in 2015-16, while the veteran center has an expiring contract worth $10.5 million. Haywood was eventually shipped to the Portland Trail Blazers in a salary dump, with the reigning Northwest Division champions waiving him shortly after.

The deal created two trade exceptions for the Cavaliers worth $10.5 million and $2.8 million, which is what Haynes was alluding to when mentioning how Cleveland could realistically acquire Crawford.

As NBC Sports' Dan Feldman points out that the Clippers could save $16,180,533 ($5,675,000 in salary and $10,505,533 in projected luxury-tax payments) if they were to shed Crawford's contract.

Cleveland is already deep in the luxury tax, with potential deals for Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith still to be determined. It's clear that general manager David Griffin is willing to spend, as evidenced by the numerous contracts he's already handed out this summer to the likes of Kevin Love, LeBron James, and Iman Shumpert. If Griffin thinks Crawford will improve Cleveland's chances at a title, he'll likely pull the trigger on a move if the opportunity presents itself.

Crawford would be instant offense for a second unit that finished dead-last in the league in scoring, according to HoopsStats.com. However, his 15.8 points on 39.6 percent shooting were his worst numbers since the 2011-12 campaign.

The Clippers are awfully crowded in their backcourt, with Pablo Prigioni and Lance Stephenson joining Crawford, Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, and Austin Rivers. There may not be enough minutes to go around, making someone like Crawford expendable in the grand scheme of things.