Report: Cavs, Clippers exploring Haywood-for-Crawford trade

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The Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Clippers are exploring the possibility of a Brendan Haywood-for-Jamal Crawford deal, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.

This development comes in the wake of the Cavs' rumored interest in a potential deal for Joe Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets, but Stein reports the complexity of those talks has Cleveland looking at a simpler deal to land a shotmaker off the bench.

The Cavaliers' trump card in any trade this offseason remains Haywood's contract, which a team could acquire and immediately waive to wipe $10.5 million off their books. Johnson is owed almost $25 million next season, so it's not surprising that the Cavs are having trouble making that deal happen, given their cap constraints.

Crawford, on the other hand, is due about $5.7 million. Like Johnson, he's in his mid-30s, but he's still a decent player. While he shot below 40 percent for only the fifth time in his 15-year NBA career this past season, he averaged just under 16 points a night and was a 90-percent free-throw shooter.