{"id":152318,"date":"2025-07-26T23:39:23","date_gmt":"2025-07-27T03:39:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=152318"},"modified":"2025-07-26T23:39:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-27T03:39:43","slug":"rockets-sign-recently-waived-kings-isaiah-crawford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/07\/26\/rockets-sign-recently-waived-kings-isaiah-crawford\/","title":{"rendered":"Rockets Sign Recently Waived Kings Award-Winner"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Just a day after the Sacramento Kings <a href=\"https:\/\/basketball.realgm.com\/nba\/transactions\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">withdrew their qualifying offer<\/a> and subsequently renounced their free-agent exception rights, combo forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/c\/crawfis01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Isaiah Crawford<\/a> agreed to a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets, per HoopsHype insider Michael Scotto. The 23-year-old went undrafted in 2024 after a five-year collegiate career at Louisiana Tech. In 2023, Crawford won Conference USA\u2019s Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards.<\/p>\n<h2>Rockets Sign Recently Waived Kings Forward Isaiah Crawford<\/h2>\n<p>In July 2024, Crawford signed a two-way contract with the Kings.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Houston Rockets and Isaiah Crawford agreed to a two-way deal, sources told <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hoopshype?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@hoopshype<\/a>. Crawford averaged 13.3 points on 50.2% from the field and 44.7% from 3-point range, 5.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals in the G League. Agent Andre Buck completed the deal <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/sVtWdKa4ZM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/sVtWdKa4ZM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeAScotto\/status\/1949277091825963357?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 27, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Though primarily appearing in games for the Stockton Kings, their G League affiliate, Crawford managed to impress. His versatility and defensive edge were skills that made him a viable NBA player in theory. Yet, his efficiency lent even more credence to that belief. Showing himself capable of handling a floor-spacing role, the Fort Worth native averaged 13.3 points per game while shooting 44.2 percent from 3.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Isaiah Crawford showing off the handle, finds Orlando in the corner for 3. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IXYnm7ns4F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/IXYnm7ns4F<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Skyler (KFR) (@SacFilmRoom) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SacFilmRoom\/status\/1875021457333670109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 3, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>He didn\u2019t get the opportunity to show much for Stockton\u2019s parent club, playing just 46 total minutes with Sacramento. Those brief stretches of action saw him go 5-11 from the field, 1-5 from 3, and record three stocks (steals and blocks combined). Yet, the team was +23.3 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Isaiah Crawford&#8217;s first bucket!!!<\/p>\n<p>The bench absolutely loves it. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9LjMnDvNE3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/9LjMnDvNE3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Skyler (KFR) (@SacFilmRoom) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SacFilmRoom\/status\/1881196785265508419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Isaiah Crawford step-back contested J off the dribble for the Kings <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HzCqt6dY7T\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/HzCqt6dY7T<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Aram Cannuscio (@AC__Hoops) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AC__Hoops\/status\/1810141472970215505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 8, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Isaiah Crawford hits a three to keep the Kings within striking distance \ud83d\ude4c <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Uf71YiAD1k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/Uf71YiAD1k<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBCSKings\/status\/1811244733890809984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 11, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>This is due not only to his skill and efficiency but his heady nature. Crawford doesn\u2019t typically play outside himself. Unlike a lot of inexperienced players, he\u2019s not a handsy defender that racks up fouls. It would be inaccurate to say that he plays a mistake-free game but he typically keeps avoidable errors to a minimum.<\/p>\n<h3>Safety Net For Tari Eason?<\/h3>\n<p>When he was with the Kings, Crawford more or less seemed like depth behind 2022 No. 4 pick <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/murrake02.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Keegan Murray<\/a>. Indeed, both he and Murray are stretch-fours that can attack of the dribble and play solid defense. However, the Rockets player whose skillset is most similar to Crawford\u2019s is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/e\/easonta01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tari Eason<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_152332\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-152332\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-152332\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/IMG_7754-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/IMG_7754-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/IMG_7754-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/IMG_7754-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/IMG_7754-1536x1025.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/IMG_7754-2048x1366.jpeg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/IMG_7754-600x400.jpeg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/IMG_7754-1200x800.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-152332\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Apr 2, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason (17) shoots the ball as Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier (13) defends during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Perhaps poised to have a bigger role with the trade of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/brookdi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dillon Brooks<\/a>, Eason is a 3-and-D forward that has excelled in transition. In 161 career games, he\u2019s averaged 10.3 points per game on 34.5 percent shooting from 3. However, not is he not especially efficient, his durability is in question too. Over the past two seasons, the 24-year-old has played just 79 games.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 Troy Taormina-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just a day after the Sacramento Kings withdrew their qualifying offer and subsequently renounced their free-agent exception rights, combo forward Isaiah Crawford agreed to a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets, per HoopsHype insider Michael Scotto. The 23-year-old went undrafted in 2024 after a five-year collegiate career at Louisiana Tech. In 2023, Crawford won Conference [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":152333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31,1608,62,3,29],"tags":[50225,297,4557,4475],"class_list":["post-152318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rockets","category-basketball","category-nba","category-news","category-kings","tag-isaiah-crawford","tag-nba-free-agency","tag-nba-offseason","tag-tari-eason"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152318","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=152318"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152318\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":152353,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/152318\/revisions\/152353"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/152333"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=152318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=152318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=152318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}