If Jae Crowder has still not played a single minute this season, his name is one of those who come up most often in transfer rumours. Where will the veteran winger continue his career? Mystery and ball of gum but what is certain is that Phoenix expects a real coin in exchange.
When the Suns reached the NBA Finals in 2021 before continuing with the best regular season in their history, Jae Crowder represented an important member of the collective of Monty Williams: 127 games played in all, 109 in the starting five, 9, 7 points, 5 rebounds and 1 steal on average with a 37% 3-point success rate, all while bringing this dose of nasty as well as the physical impact the Suns needed.
In short, a confirmed holder.
So inevitably, today, the Phoenix franchise expects a similar consideration in exchange for the 32-year-old strong winger. Insider Marc Stein confirms thisnoting that the Cactus recently turned down an offer from the Wizards involving 24-year-old Japanese winger Rui Hachimura.
Given the current situation of the Suns, who still dream of returning to the NBA Finals despite the disappointment of the last Playoffs as well as the ups and downs of the start of the season (record of 19 wins – 13 losses, 4th in the West), they are aiming for a player capable of raising the ceiling of the team, if possible by bringing the experience that Crowder had (10 years in the NBA, 9 Playoff campaigns, 2 appearances in the NBA Finals). This is all the more the case since Cam Johnson – the nugget from Phoenix who replaces Crowder in the five – has been absent since the beginning of November following knee surgery.
So who has this in stock?
Among the players who might be associated with the Suns in the context of a potential transfer from Crowder, we had in particular Eric Gordon et K.J. Martin of Houston. The name of Kyle Kuzma (Wizards) was also mentioned, as was that ofHarrison Barnes (Kings). But no deal has materialized yet, and time isn’t really on the Suns’ side. Already because Crowder is not playing (which can negatively impact his rating), and then because Jae’s contract ends at the end of the 2022-23 season, where he will become a free agent. The room for maneuver of James Jones, the general manager of Phoenix, will therefore decrease more and more as we approach the trade deadline of February 9th…
While Milwaukee, Atlanta, Miami and Washington are monitoring the Jae Crowder case, the Suns have still not found their happiness in exchange for the veteran. And the longer they wait, the more complicated it is likely to be. As mentioned by Marc Stein, the recent change of ownership might nevertheless unblock the situation in the near future. Case to follow.
Source text: Marc Stein
