Igor Kokoskov may make Jamal Crawford a FA target

After opting out of the second year of his contract in Minnesota, Jamal Crawford, aged like fine wine, will be an unrestricted free agent. So what’s the pitch for a young Phoenix Suns team with a brand new head coach?

The Phoenix Suns are a young team with a brand new coach! Igor Kokoskov is highly regarded around the basketball community, and with a name like that, I’m not convinced he’s not a vampire.  Anyway, Kokoskov, most recently the lead assistant on a Utah Jazz team coming off a Semifinal game 2 victory in Houston over the #1 overall seed in the playoffs, is ready for the job, and the Suns have received praise for the hire from players and coaches all across the Association.

So what can Igor offer the Suns and how could a veteran like Crawford fit in to the system?

Phoenix Suns

Igor, who was the assistant coach on several teams (including the Suns from 2008-13), and also the head coach of the Slovenian national squad that recently won the EuroBasket championship behind Goran Dragic and Luke Doncic (eyes emoji), plays an up-tempo style prioritizing ball movement and freeing the shooters. He has also been outstanding at developing players, notably Ricky Rubio, who in case you have not noticed, has formed a jump shot since joining the Jazz last offseason. Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles are also on that team (more eyes emojis).

Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough had a lot to say about the hire and the interest in doing so, but had this to say about Devin Booker: “The offensive creativity, the player development, all that stuff was important to Devin and was important to us as well.”  Now imagine Devin Booker in an offense virtually made for him (even MORE eyes emojis).

We can go on and on about Kokoskov, but the point is he brings renown respect to Phoenix, and he knows what he is doing. So where does 38-year-old Jamal Crawford come into the equation?

McDonough has voiced his opinion that for the Suns to develop and be a threat to anyone, they would have to sign veterans. Tyson Chandler openly agreed.

Crawford averaged 10.3 points this past season coming off the bench for the Timberwolves, his lowest PPG average since his sophomore campaign. He was also averaging the least amount of minutes for his time in the league since his rookie season. Regardless, he is 38, and it is still impressive to watch, especially with the speed and quickness he can play at, vital in Kokoskov’s system.

Next: Hiring Igor Kokoskov was the right move for the Phoenix Suns

So while Crawford may be interested in joining a contender, the Suns should certainly make their case. They are headed for a huge offseason in trying to make themselves a contender. Crawford would be sure to have a huge role developmentally for the Phoenix youth, as well as backing up Devin Booker  Also, the Suns training staff, not to be confused with the fountain of youth, has never disappointed.

Crawford would be joining a well regarded coach with a track record of developing small names into solid NBA players, and with him on and off the court the Phoenix Suns could see their name in the playoff race sooner than later.