The Orlando Magic have invited Joe Crawford to join their roster for the Orlando Pro Summer League, which begins next week, according to Scott Schroeder of RidiculousUpside.com.
The Los Angeles Lakers made Crawford, a 6'05" two-guard from Kentucky, the 58th overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft, but waived him during training camp. He appeared in two games for the Knicks in April 2009, which marks his only NBA experience to date, as the Knicks waived him in October that same year.
Crawford averaged 17.8 points per game for the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League last season. You can view his complete D-League statisics here.
The Magic have yet to officially announce their roster--draft picks Daniel Orton and Stanley Robinson will attend, according to GM Otis Smith--but Schroeder's sources confirm that Crawford will indeed be part of the team. And Crawford's verified Twitter account includes a recently posted message that says, "Just landed in orlando."
Though Crawford faces long odds to make the Magic's team in training camp, the invite nonetheless indicates a level of interest in a scoring guard of his caliber. Last year, Orlando did not sign any of the non-roster players it invited; the closest it came was with point guard Russell Robinson, a Summer-League standout who turned down the Magic's camp invitation to join the Cleveland Cavaliers' instead.
Schroeder has a complete list of players participating in Orlando Pro Summer League here. He's promised to let me know if anything else develops regarding the Magic's roster.