Jamal Crawford returning to Clippers on 3-year, $42M deal

— -- Jamal Crawford will return to the Los Angeles Clippers on a three-year, $42 million deal, the reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year confirmed to ESPN.

Crawford's agreement with the team was first reported by USA TODAY.

Crawford, 36, has long been considered one of the NBA's most feared scorers, a guard who can pile up points in a hurry with his long-range shooting and an array of moves at the rim. He has won three NBA Sixth Man of the Year trophies since 2010, including the past season, when the reserve averaged 14.2 points over 26.9 minutes per game in 79 outings.

Crawford had interest from other clubs, and was believed to have received a sizable offer from Philadelphia. But the Clippers countered at a level that Crawford apparently wanted, and he's staying in Los Angeles.

The 36-year-old Crawford has appeared in 1,100 regular-season games. At the end of last season, his 16th in the league, only nine active players had been in more.

Crawford has also played for New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Portland and Golden State. Although he is dynamic enough to start for most teams, he has embraced his role as a spark plug off the bench and has primarily been a backup for the past seven seasons.

His numbers have slipped a bit from 2013-14, when he averaged 18.6 points per game, but Crawford remains one of the most effective scorers in the NBA.

The Clippers won 53 games last season, the team's fourth consecutive year of winning at least that many. Besieged by injuries, Los Angeles fell in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs to Portland in six games.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.