Jamal Crawford, Michael Beasley agree to sign with Brooklyn Nets ahead of NBA restart

The Brooklyn Nets signed with veteran guard Jamal Crawford on Wednesday (Thursday IST) before the NBA restart starts at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. As per The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania, the Nets are also moving towards a contract with Michael Beasley. Both Crawford and Beasley will join the team in Orlando after multiple Nets players opted out and tested positive with COVID-19 before the games begin on July 30.

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Nets sign Crawford, Beasley? Brooklyn Nets sign Crawford and Michael Beasley before the NBA restart at Walt Disney World

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Nets sign Crawford: When did Crawford and Beasley last play?

Jamal Crawford last played in the NBA for the 2018-19 season, averaging 7.9 points per game for the Phoenix Suns. As per Jamal Crawford career points, he is ranked No. 54 on the all-time scoring list. However, the Crawford career points place him seventh on the all-time scoring list among active players. The eight seeding games in Orlando followed by the playoffs in August will complete Crawford's 20th NBA season after the Nets sign Crawford. Though unverified, the Jamal Crawford net worth is $35 million as per Celebrity Net Worth. Beasley also last appeared in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2018-19 season. He appeared in 26 games with two starts while averaging 7 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. 

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Nets sign Crawford: Deal with Jamal Crawford almost finalized

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Wilson Chandler opted out of the NBA return on June 28 due to safety concerns revolving around COVID-19 and stated he wanted to spend more time with his family. A day later, Spencer Dinwiddie confirmed that he tested positive for the virus. Though Dinwiddie did not announce his decision right away, the 27-year-old guard recently confirmed that he will not be returning to play the season after a second positive COVID-19 test.

Along with Dinwiddie, centre DeAndre Jordan and forward Taurean Prince also announced their decisions to sit out the remaining season in Orlando. In addition to that, both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant will not be playing as they are recovering from surgery and injury respectively. Following Dinwiddie's confirmation, there were some reports about the Nets looking to sign free agents to play in Orlando.

Before the NBA season was suspended on March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Nets were ranked seventh on the Eastern Conference with a 30-34 win-loss record, 0.5 games ahead of eighth-seeded Orlando Magic. The Nets first game will be against the Magic on Friday, July 31 2:30 PM EST (Saturday, August 1, 12:00 AM IST).  

(Image source: NBA official site)