Jamal Crawford To Become A Trail Blazer

Former Renton hoopster Jamal Crawford has signed with the Portland Trail Blazers according to his Twitter and later confirmed by the Trail Blazers Thursday afternoon. The deal is for two years and $10 million, with a player option for his second year according to ESPN's The Magazine's Chris Broussard.

Crawford chose Portland over Sacramento, which was offering a two-year deal worth $6.5 million per season, and New York, which offered $5 million over two years, sources told Broussard.

An 11-year veteran, Crawford played for the Atlanta Hawks the last two seasons. For his career, he has averaged 15.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists. He won the NBA's Sixth Man award in 2010.

Crawford, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, will help the Blazers deal with the absence of Brandon Roy who lived in Renton for many years.

The former UW Husky was forced to retire after doctors have told him that his degenerative knees make it impossible for him to continue playing in the NBA. He has no more cartilage in his knees, and the continued grind of playing in the league could ultimately jeopardize his ability to walk.

Both were in Renton in September to honor Crawford for this contribution to the upgrade of the Liberty Park basketball courts.