Hawks finalize trade for Jamal Crawford

The Hawks and Golden State have completed a deal that sends point guard Jamal Crawford to the Hawks and point guards Acie Law IV and Speedy Claxton to the Warriors.

Crawford signed an agreement stating he wouldn’t opt out of the final two years of his contract, which will pay him more than $19 million, paving the way for the deal to be finished.

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AP

Jamal Crawford gives the Hawks a prolific scorer, but who’s going to play point guard?

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And it’s a deal that has players on both sides anxious for a fresh start.

“I’m excited,” Crawford said by phone Thursday afternoon. “They’re a winning team. They went to the playoffs, the second round. It could be a really good fit for me.”

The veteran Crawford arrives on draft day for the Hawks, who own the 19th pick in the draft and could go a number of different directions with the pick.

Veteran point guard Mike Bibby is an unrestricted free agent, as is backup guard Flip Murray, who saw time at both point guard and shooting guard last season.

Law was the 11th pick in the 2007 draft and viewed as the Hawks’ point guard of the future but never could crack the playing rotation. In two years with the Hawks, Law started only seven games and averaged just 12.8 minutes.

“I’m excited for a fresh start,” Law said. “I just want to go somewhere I can play and show what I can do. I spoke with the [Warriors’] general manager [Larry Riley], and he told me to bring my running shoes because I’m going to get a chance to play and do what I do.

“It just didn’t work out here in Atlanta. Mike [Bibby] came in and did well and the team did well, and it is what it is. I can’t complain about anything that went on in Atlanta. But I feel good about this move. My family is excited, and I’m excited for what’s next in my career.”

Claxton started 31 games at point guard in his first season with the Hawks, 2006-07, and played in only two more games after that because of a series of injuries. He’s entering the final year of a four-year, $25 million deal he signed as a free agent in the summer of 2006 with the Hawks.

Crawford, 29, will be playing on his fourth team when he joins the Hawks. He averaged 19.7 points, 4.4 assists and 3.0 rebounds last season, splitting his time with New York and Golden State.

After bouncing around throughout his career, he hopes he’s found a home, for the foreseeable future at least, with the Hawks.

“I hope so,” said Crawford, who said his 11-year-old son lives in Atlanta. “I definitely hope so. Going from New York to Golden State was a weird situation for me. I did everything that was asked of me and really that’s all you can do. But this change could be really good for me. It’s really a perfect fit.”