After five good years in New York, combo-guard Jamaal Crawford was traded to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Al Harrington in November 2008. However, Crawford never seemed to be a good fit for the struggling Warriors in their disappointing 2008-09 season. More specifically, his lack of length often caused defensive problems and further deteriorated the mediocre Warriors’ defense.

Consequently, it is no surprise that franchise decided to trade him as part of their roster adjustments this off-season. Today, the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors announced that Crawford was traded to Atlanta for Speedy Claxton and Acie Law. Crawford who averaged 19.7 points, 4.4 assists and 3.3 rebounds last season is expected to provide a huge lift off the bench for the Hawks and to take some weight of Joe Johnson’s shoulders.

In contrast, one is left wondering how the Warriors might benefit from this trade. Speedy Claxton played just 41 games per season throughout his 8 years in the league and only two last season. He had some better years in the past, but as of now he does not look like a player ready to perform on a consistent basis. Likewise, Acie Law comes with a rather unimpressive 3.6 point, 1.8 assist and 1.0 rebound career average. Thus, it appears to be highly unlikely that either of them will be able to make any significant impact for Golden State next year. Although there is no question about the need to trade Crawford it seems a bit odd that the Warriors’ management was not able to bring more valuable assets to Oakland in exchange for him. However, according to both teams the trade is already set in stone and will be made official on the 1^st of July.

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