Teams Who Could Explore Trade For Jae Crowder

Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder remains away from the team after requesting a trade before the start of the 2022-23 NBA season and he could wind up becoming a key name in trade talks over the next several weeks.

The Phoenix Suns are once again one of the better teams in the NBA early on this season at 8-4, but their roster looks different than it did a season ago when they won a franchise record 64 games.

Cameron Johnson is currently out indefinitely after undergoing a procedure to repair his right meniscus, Chris Paul is dealing with a heel injury and veteran forward Jae Crowder is currently away from the team.

After it became clear that the Suns were not going to be offering him a contract extension this offseason and after they appointed Johnson as their new starting power forward, Crowder requested a trade.

Various teams have inquired about the veteran’s availability and what it would take for Phoenix to trade him, but so far, no team has been willing to pull the trigger on a deal.

The Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat are some of the contending teams that have showed a level of interest in Crowder, sources told Fastbreak on FanNation, but it is unknown at this time if any of these five teams made a former offer for him.

With Johnson out now though with his knee injury and the Suns’ depth being tested, general manager James Jones and the Suns’ front-office could begin feeling some pressure to move on Crowder in order to remain at the top of the standings.

PHNX Sports’ Gerald Bourguet was recently on The Fast Break Podcast to discuss the state of the Phoenix Suns and he talked about where the team is at in regards to possibly moving on from Jae Crowder.

While no deal is in place, Bourguet did talk about some of the options that are on the table right now and discussed the possibility of what the Suns are looking for.

“I think up until this point, they haven’t felt a real sense of urgency to move Jae Crowder until they found a trade that they liked. I don’t think James Jones should just “panic trade” for whatever he can get right now for Crowder at this point, but it does kind of put a little bit more pressure on him to move Crowder and get something back for him because heading into the season, the Suns had one open roster spot and then they were devoting another to Jae Crowder, who is not currently suiting up for them. Now, they have another spot that is being utilized by Cameron Johnson, who is out for the next 1-2 months, so that’s three roster spots right there that you are not getting any production from.” - Gerald Bourguet, PHNX Sports

When names likes Celtics’ Derrick White, Bucks’ Grayson Allen and Heat’s Duncan Robinson were mentioned as possible assets the Suns could get in return for Jae Crowder, Bourguet expanded the list deeper with other potential trade targets to keep in mind.

“I like some of those names mentioned. Maybe even the Utah Jazz and the possibility of Jordan Clarkson and Jarred Vanderbilt being available,” Bourguet stated. “Eric Gordon on the Houston Rockets is clearly not serving much of a purpose where he is on a rebuilding team. You look at the Wizards and if they go downhill, maybe a guy like Kyle Kuzma becomes available or maybe Monte Morris as a potential alternative for the Suns to look at next to Cameron Payne in the second-unit.

“These are just some teams that the Suns are going to keep an eye on, but obviously these situations may need more time to flush out.”

Jae Crowder’s situation with the Phoenix Suns continues to be an ongoing storyline in the NBA and even though there is an opening for Crowder to potentially return to the starting lineup now with Johnson injured, this does not seem like an option for either side at this point.

The veteran forward has turned to the next chapter in his career and is no longer wanting to be a part of the Suns. Where he ends up though remains a question mark that we may not have an answer to until closer to the trade deadline. 

---

The Fast Break Podcast hosted by our own Brett Siegel is now LIVE!

Be sure to catch up on the latest news and intel from around the league by checking out The Fast Break Podcast, now streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify with new episodes releasing every Friday.