Former Bucks Forward Jae Crowder Still Unsigned, Makes Old Trade Look Bad

In hindsight, giving up five second-round picks for Jae Crowder prior to the 2023 NBA trade deadline has proved to be a huge swing and a miss for Milwaukee.

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers talks with Milwaukee Bucks forward Jae Crowder (99) during the second quarter against the Orlando Magic at KIA Center. / Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — With the 2024-25 season right around the corner, former Milwaukee Bucks forward Jae Crowder still hasn't signed with any NBA franchise.

While there is still time left for a team to sign the former Marquette star to a deal to join them for training camp, the odds are slim with each passing day. Once a valuable rotational ''three-and-D'' player, Crowder's value has greatly depreciated since spending a year and a half with Milwaukee.

Less than two seasons ago, Crowder was one of the hottest names when it came to trade talks. The Bucks wound up giving five second-round picks and a trio of players for Crowder in a four-team deal with the Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers and Phoenix Suns at the deadline.

Why the Jae Crowder trade looks bad in hindsight

There was a time over the past year and a half that the Milwaukee Bucks thought bringing in Crowder could make a real difference.

That time is long gone.

Shipping off five second-round picks as well as three players for Crowder was viewed by many as a huge swing that ultimately landed flat.

Instead of going down in Bucks history as a player who made championship-level impact such as P.J. Tucker, who was traded to the Bucks ahead of the deadline before helping the team win the 2021 NBA Championship, Crowder never found his footing.

After a solid season in 2021-22 with the Phoenix Suns, where he averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 steals over 28.1 minutes per game over 67 games, Crowder's numbers took a steep dive in Milwaukee.

Since joining the Bucks during the middle of the 2022-23 season, Crowder went on to average 6.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.7 steals in 18 games. He followed that up by averaging 6.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.8 steals per game last season in 50 games played during his final season with Milwaukee.

Crowder's performance was especially bad in the postseason. Through two payoffs trips with the Bucks, Crowder averaged a mere 2.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 10.4 minutes per contest. It's certainly not the production Milwaukee envisioned when unloading the haul of picks and players for the NBA veteran.

As a result of his poor showing in Milwaukee, Crowder remains a free agent now. His chances of joining a new team remain slim as each day continues to pass. In hindsight, the Bucks could have used their package of second-round picks better somewhere else.

Despite looking like a terrible trade in retrospect, there's no faulting Milwaukee's front office for trying to take a big swing on a well-known commodity that, at the time, looked like he could be an excellent addition as a rotational piece.

At the same token, there's no denying this trade was a huge mistake as evident by Crowder's availability this deep into the offseason.

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