Jamal Crawford says his teammates ‘couldn’t believe’ trade rumors

Sitting by his locker before the Clippers played the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, Jamal Crawford answered questions about his name being involved with various trade rumors.

Let’s just say the last 24 hours before the noon NBA trade deadline weren’t exactly pleasant for him.

“I wouldn’t say stressful, just weird,” he said.

Crawford, the NBA’s reigning sixth man of the year, is the third-leading scorer on the Clippers, averaging 16 points on 39.1% shooting in 26.9 minutes a game off the bench.

Crawford said his teammates were just as surprised as he was that his name was being thrown around in the rumor mill.

“They couldn’t even believe it, honestly,” he said.

Crawford, who has been on six teams during his 15-season career, seems to always be one of the players whose name is mentioned around the trade deadline. One reporter suggested that means he’s clearly an asset.

“I guess that’s the good way of looking at it,” he said.

When a reporter asked what’s the other way of looking at it, Crawford didn’t hesitate.

“I think we both know that,” he said.

Crawford, 34, emphasized that he’s a professional and that he understands that the NBA is a business, but he acknowledged that trade rumors are disruptive.

“Stuff like that affects your family more than it affects you,” he said.

Crawford said he was monitoring Twitter until the deadline and said he really appreciated that his fans were upset on his behalf.

“That my name’s even out there, right?” he said. “Yeah, I saw. The fans are unbelievable. The fans truly are unbelievable. When I’m in the game and I see that one person who has No. 11 on, or that one person that’s rooting for me ... you really appreciate it.”