Jamal Crawford: Timberwolves 'made sense on every level'

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - The Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday officially announced signing of veteran shooting guard Jamal Crawford.

“There were a lot of options, but this made sense on every level,” Crawford said of his decision to sign with Minnesota.

Crawford joins a high-profile class of new acquisitions for the Timberwolves that includes Jimmy Butler, Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson.

Crawford, 37, played in all 82 regular season games for the Los Angeles Clippers last season, averaging 12.3 points and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 36.0 percent on three-pointers. Crawford is a three-time winner of the NBA Sixth Man Award (2015-16, 2013-14 and 2009-10), giving the Timberwolves a spark off the bench.

“He's a very unselfish player,” Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau said. “When you double team him, he will hit the open man."

Crawford has career averages of 15.3 points and 3.5 assists in 1,182 games played over 17 seasons with the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers. Crawford has appeared in the playoffs seven times, including the last five seasons with the Clippers.

"I love the game,” Crawford said of his 17-year NBA tenure. “Before anything else, I loved basketball."

Crawford was selected with the No. 8 overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2000 NBA Draft held at Target Center, after playing one season at the University of Michigan. He ranks No. 5 all-time in the NBA in three-pointers made with 2,049.