PHOENIX, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 13: Jamal Crawford #11 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball during the NBA game against the Dallas Mavericks at Talking Stick Resort Arena on December 13, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 99-89. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

With the Brooklyn Nets in need of help right now, Jamal Crawford could be working his way into a much better future.

Jamal Crawford is in the twilight of his career, but he plans on making the most of this moment. The shorthanded Brooklyn Nets are turning to the longtime NBA veteran to provide a lift when the NBA restarts in Orlando later this month.

“For me it was a no-brainer,” Crawford said via Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News. “An opportunity to play on a team that’s in the playoff hunt, a team that is trying to look to improve with vets out, I feel like for me it would be a great situation and I was honored that I got the call.”

Crawford, 40, has spent the entirety of the 2019-20 season as a free agent, but he’s finally getting another opportunity. The Nets are down eight players in total, including the loss of Michael Beasley due to a recent positive coronavirus test.

As Crawford notes, the Nets are “in the playoff hunt” but this restart is more about the future than anything else. Under the best possible circumstances, the Nets will face the Toronto Raptors in the first round. Without Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Spencer Dinwiddie, and DeAndre Jordan among others, it’s going to be tough for Brooklyn to make any kind of run in the playoffs.

As a result, these next eight-plus games are going to be about evaluating who can fill complementary roles on a championship roster. All signs point to the Nets aggressively going after a third star in the offseason and with so much money tied up in these stars, they’ll need cheap veterans to fill out the roster.

Perhaps Jamal Crawford can show enough in Orlando to earn one of those spots as a complementary guy on a championship-winning team in Brooklyn. His relationships with Durant and Irving certainly put him in a good spot.

NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.