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NBA Free Agency 2011: Jamal Crawford Signs With Portland

After a successful two-year stint in Atlanta that saw him win the Sixth Man of the Year Award while dazzling fans with late-game heroics, free agent shooting guard Jamal Crawford has signed a two-year deal with the Portland Trail Blazers:

 Ken Berger 
Crawford gets a two-year deal for about $10M, with the second year being a player option, source says.

With Atlanta's ownership group determined not to exceed the luxury tax, and over $57 million already committed to Joe Johnson, Al Horford, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams and Kirk Hinrich, there was little chance for Crawford to come back to the Hawks.

In an effort to his bench production, Atlanta signed Tracy McGrady to a one-year deal earlier in the off-season.

Portland, who just lost star guard Brandon Roy to a medical retirement, is a perfect fit for Crawford. They need scoring from the perimeter, and the player option will allow him to judge his market value next season, when a lot more teams should be under the salary cap.

Photographs by coka_koehler used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.