Spurs Help Out Heat, Suns in Jae Crowder Trade Idea

Jae Crowder is one of the likeliest players to be dealt at the NBA Trade Deadline. Could the San Antonio Spurs assist in his trade?

Jeremy Brener | Feb 1, 2023

Spurs Help Out Heat, Suns in Jae Crowder Trade Idea /

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San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs' goal for the upcoming trade deadline should be to improve the team's future outlook.

With a couple tradeable assets like Jakob Poeltl and Josh Richardson, they have potential to do just that.

In a three-way trade idea curated by Bleacher Report, the Spurs would send Richardson to the Phoenix Suns in a three-team trade that would ultimately land frustrated veteran forward Jae Crowder back with the Miami Heat, where he played a key role in their 2020 NBA Finals run.

Here's a look at the trade ...

Miami Heat receive: Jae Crowder

Phoenix Suns receive: Josh Richardson, Max Strus

San Antonio Spurs receive: Nikola Jović, Duncan Robinson, Phoenix's 2023 first-round pick (top-five protected)

"There's a non-zero chance Phoenix lands in the play-in tournament, which means there's a non-zero chance it winds up in the lottery," Bleacher Report writes. "Nikola Jović needs plenty of polish, but he projects as a 6'10" wing scorer and playmaker. That isn't bad compensation for helping make the money work and stomaching Duncan Robinson's bloated contract."

Jović, 19, fits the standard idea of a typical Spurs prospect. As a player who experienced success overseas, Jović can work with the player development staff to help his game transition to the NBA. He has only played in 15 games this season due to injury and doesn't quite fit the Heat's timeline of wanting to win now.

As a rebuilding team, the Spurs can afford to take on a contract like Robinson's, which makes roughly $75 million and doesn't expire until 2026. Given the fact that the team gets essentially two first-round picks in return, the pros outweigh the cons.

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Published Feb 1, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.