The Clippers don’t have a use for Ray Allen after nabbing Jamal Crawford for a three-year deal. (Glenn James/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Clippers are out of battle to get free agent Ray Allen.

According to Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times, the Clippers will sign guards Jamal Crawford and Chauncey Billups, effectively ending their pursuit of Allen.

Crawford, an unrestricted free agent who opted out of his $5.2 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, has been offered a spot by the Clippers. He is expected to sign a three-year, $15.7 million contract, according to the executives.

Turner reports the Billups’ contract is a one-year deal worth up to $4.3 million. He played only 20 games last season due to a torn Achilles tendon.

Allen had a visit scheduled for Friday in Los Angeles, but that visit has since been canceled.

The veteran sharpshooter is still being targeted by his current team, the Boston Celtics, as well as the newly crowned NBA champions Miami Heat. Before the news broke that Allen would not be visiting L.A., Heat guard Dwyane Wade sent this tweet to Clippers point guard Chris Paul.

@CP3 how about we shoot for it??? lockerz.com/s/222526459

—
Dwyane Wade (@DwyaneWade) July 05, 2012

The Clippers extended an offer to Jamal Crawford, and are eyeing Chauncey Billups and the Rockets’ Courtney Lee (Sam Forencich/Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Clippers have reportedly extended an offer to Portland Trail Blazers free agent Jamal Crawford following their meeting on Tuesday, according to a tweet from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times reported that the Clippers’ would use their mid-level exception on Crawford:

The Clippers plan to offer Crawford the mid-level exception that starts at $5 million. The Clippers are willing to offer Crawford, a 6-foot-5 guard, at least a three-year deal, sources said.

He is still considering a number of teams, according to Spears, including Minnesota, Philadelphia, Memphis and Phoenix. The Clippers, meanwhile, are scheduled to meet with Boston Celtics free agent Ray Allen on Friday.

Turner said in the report that the Clippers will also offer a one-year contract worth $4 million to their point guard, Chauncey Billups, who played in only 20 games last season because of a torn Achilles tendon.

The Clippers also have interest in guard Courtney Lee, who was told on Tuesday that he will not be receiving a qualifying offer from Houston, where he played last season. Lee will become an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team on July 11.

According to another report from Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times, Lee, 26, now has interest from a number of teams:

Multiple reports said that the Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks and Washington Wizards also have interest in Lee.

He could be a low-risk signing for a team looking to add depth in the backcourt. Lee, who made $2.2 million last year for the Rockets, averaged 11.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.2 steals in 58 games last season, 26 as a starter. He shot 40-percent from three last season and 43-percent overall.

Clipps had a positive meeting w/Jamal Crawford in LA today & made a contract offer,but hes still considering MIN, PHL, MEM, PHX, source says—
Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 04, 2012

The Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves have expressed interested in trading for Jamal Crawford. (Sam Forencich/Getty Images)

The Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves have shown strong interest in trading for Portland Trail Blazers guard Jamal Crawford, reports CSNNW.com‘s Chris Haynes (via Pro Basketball Talk‘s Kurt Helin).

Crawford averaged 14 points per game off the bench last season, his first with Portland. The 32-year-old Crawford has played 12 seasons in the NBA and won the Sixth Man of the Year award for the 2009-10 season for his play off the bench with Atlanta Hawks.

Boston and Philadelphia, both playoff teams this season, likely want Crawford to add an extra scoring punch to their second units.

Haynes reports that Minnesota was close to acquiring Crawford before the trade deadline. The Timberwolves have also reportedly wanted to add veterans to their young roster. On Tuesday, Minnesota traded the No. 18 pick in the draft to the Houston Rockets for forward Chase Budinger.

Crawford can opt out of his contract until Friday, and if he isn’t traded by then, he is expected to do so and become a free agent.

Portland Trail Blazers guard Jamal Crawford is in an interesting position: He knows he will be playing elsewhere next season. The Blazers are trying to find an acceptable trade partner for Crawford, but if they are unsuccessful, Crawford can opt out of his contract and become a free agent.

Should that happen, Alex Kennedy of HoopWorld.com reports that Crawford will have no shortage of suitors. League sources tell Kennedy that the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves are among the teams expected to pursue Crawford.

Crawford, 32, has career averages of 15.3 points and 3.9 assists, but he’s been below those figures in each of the past two seasons as he transitioned into a bench player.

Jamal Crawford, the Portland Trailblazers guard and former NBA Sixth Man of the Year, will test free agency this off-season. (Ron Hoskins/Getty Images)

Jamal Crawford, the 2009-10 NBA Sixth Man of the Year, will become a free agent this summer and expects “a lot of teams out there with a lot of interest,” he told Seattle television station KING on Thursday:

“I’m a free agent, so I’m excited about what’s there moving forward,” Crawford said when asked about his future. “There will be a lot of teams out there with a lot of interest. I’ll sit back after July (free agency begins July 1) and see what happens.”

Crawford, 32, signed a two-year contract for $10 million with the Portland Trailblazers in December 2010. He has an opt-out clause in the contract that will allow him to sign elsewhere after his first year and forgo the final $5 million owed to him by the Blazers. If he does leave Portland this off-season, his next team will be his sixth NBA team in 12 years.

Crawford, who surpassed Reggie Miller in 2010 for the the most four-point plays in NBA history, shot 38.4-percent overall and 30-percent from three in his first season with the Blazers. He averaged 14 points per game last season but averaged 26.9 minutes per game, his lowest since the 2003 season when he played for the Chicago Bulls.

File this under “unsurprising but notable nonetheless” — guard Jamal Crawford is opting out of his contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, a source tells Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

Crawford signed with the Blazers in December for two years and $10,225,000, with an early termination option to get out of year two. He was productive statistically as a Blazer — he averaged 14.0 points and 3.2 assists per game as a third guard off the Portland bench — but things were tumultuous off the floor. There were rumblings of Crawford and Raymond Felton leading a “mutiny” that led to the firing of coach Nate McMillan last month.

Technically, Crawford’s deadline to make a decision isn’t until June 15, but the star sixth man has reportedly already made up his mind. If he does indeed hit the open market, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent for the second year in a row.

Crawford turned 32 last month; he’s been highly productive as a bench scorer with the Blazers and Atlanta Hawks over the last few years. He’s sure to generate plenty of interest this summer.

The Indiana Pacers are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, looking to get over the hump, and they’re looking at a couple of different ways to help them get there. Reports have linked Indy to both Chris Kaman and Jamal Crawford.

Indianapolis Star beat writer Mike Wells reports that Kaman, the New Orleans Hornets’ center, is at the top of the Pacers’ wish list. The sticking point is that the Pacers don’t want to give up a first-round pick for Kaman, who turns 30 next month and is headed for free agency.

As for Crawford, ESPN’s Chad Ford has mentioned the Pacers’ interest in the explosive scoring wingman. Crawford is making $5 million with the Portland Trail Blazers this season and has a player option to make $5.2 million next year; the Pacers would have to build a sizable trade package to land the 31-year-old veteran.

The Pacers are 23-14 heading into Saturday night’s showdown with the Miami Heat. Their top seven players have been outstanding this season, but they could use a little extra depth to become real contenders in the East playoffs this spring.

Update: 2:39 P.M.  - According to Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated, Jamal Crawford signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the Portland Trail Blazers.  Sources have also said that the contract includes a second year player option worth $5 million.  The deal has not been officially announced by the team or Crawford, as of yet.

Original: 2:00 P.M.- Sports Illustrated’s Sam Amick reports that free agent Jamal Crawford has decided to continue his NBA career with the Portland Trail Blazers, according to two unnamed sources.

The 11-year-veteran narrowed down his list to the Sacramento Kings and Trail Blazers after eliminating the New York Knicks on Wednesday.  The Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves also showed interest in Crawford.

The 6-foot-5 guard is expected to sign a one-year deal and become a free-agent once again next summer.

Crawford, 31, has been one of the best bench players in the league for the Atlanta Hawks over the past two seasons. Last year, he averaged 14.2 points in 30.2 minutes per game. His best season came in 2007-09 as a member of the New York Knicks when as a starter he averaged 20.6 points and 5.0 assists per game.

Jamal Crawford could be interested in returning to the New York Knicks if he is not able to work out a deal to re-sign with the Atlanta Hawks, a source told the New York Daily News.

Crawford, 31, officially signed Andy Miller of ASM Sports to be his new agent this Sunday. Miller currently represents several players on the Knicks, including Chauncey Billups, Jarred Jeffries, and Roger Mason, which could help in negotiations with the team.

The guard also told Oregon Live last month that he would be interested in signing with the Portland Trail Blazers following the end of the NBA labor dispute. Crawford told the site that he considered the Blazers his “hometown team.” Crawford was also in the headlines in October when LeBron James expressed interest via Twitter in bringing him to the Miami Heat.

The Hawks guard has been one of the best bench players in the league over the past two seasons. Last year he averaged 14.2 points in 30.2 minutes per game. His best season came in 2007-09 as a member of the Knicks when as a starter he averaged 20.6 points and 5.0 assists per game.

Free agent guard Jamal Crawford would like to play with the Portland Trail Blazers when the NBA lockout comes to the close, according to Oregon Live. Crawford expressed his desire to play with Portland on Sunday following a charity basketball event hosted by Trail Blazers’ star LaMarcus Aldridge.

Crawford told the site that he considered the Blazers his “hometown” team, and that it was his preferred landing spot once free agency opens to NBA players.

“Every game I wasn’t playing in Atlanta, I was watching (the Blazers) because of Brandon (Roy),” Crawford told Oregon Live. “That’s one of my best friends. And LaMarcus, the way he emerged; I just think they’re a team on the rise.”

Crawford, 31, has been one of the best bench players in the league for the Atlanta Hawks over the past two seasons. Last year he averaged 14.2 points in 30.2 minutes per game. His best season came in 2007-09 as a member of the New York Knicks when as a starter he averaged 20.6 points and 5.0 assists per game.

In October, Crawford was in the headlines when NBA superstar LeBron James expressed his interest in bringing him to the Miami Heat. Aldridge has also lobbied publicly for his services.