player option - trade rule

Wizenheimer · Post #1 » by **Wizenheimer** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 5:30 pm

instead of figuring out how to properly phrase a general question, I'll use a specific case:

Jamal Crawford has an option on his 2nd season with the Blazers. Portland is 'hoping' he will opt-out so they can maximize cap-space

if Crawford decides to opt in, can he do it soon enough after Portland's season ends to be eligible for trade between then and the draft?

DBoys · Post #2 » by **DBoys** » Sat Mar 24, 2012 6:35 pm

Sure. He could exercise his option at any time, and if he does so, can be traded as soon as the Blazers season ends.

But he's just as likely to keep that ace in his pocket to make sure that if he gets dealt, he has some say in where he goes. He has a lot of leverage if he wants to use it.

Wizenheimer · Post #3 » by **Wizenheimer** » Sun Mar 25, 2012 12:12 am

DBoys wrote:Sure. He could exercise his option at any time, and if he does so, can be traded as soon as the Blazers season ends.

But he's just as likely to keep that ace in his pocket to make sure that if he gets dealt, he has some say in where he goes. He has a lot of leverage if he wants to use it.

no doubt about him having some leverage.

my guess is that he does opt-out anyway. Reportedly, half a dozen teams were interested in him before the trade deadline, but some of those teams were concerned that he would opt-out. With 12-15 teams having some cap-space this summer and the free agent class being less then glamorous, Crawford can probably get a deal a little better then the MLE he currently has