It appears as though Jae Crowder will play somewhere other than Phoenix in the coming season, and perhaps his new home will be in Atlanta. The Hawks have emerged as a suitor for the disgruntled Suns forward, according to Shams Charania. Faced with a diminished role with the Suns, Crowder requested a trade away from Phoenix over the offseason, and the Suns have been actively looking to grant his wish. Crowder has been away from the team throughout training camp and preseason play thus far.
From The Athletic:
The Hawks have emerged as a suitor among interested teams in Suns forward Jae Crowder. The Hawks and Suns have had conversations in recent weeks and months, I'm told, as Atlanta has seen if there's a pathway to bring Crowder into a big three of Trae Young, Dejounte Murray and John Collins. Several teams have been engaged on a potential deal for Crowder, who remains away from the Suns as both sides work on a resolution for his future.
Crowder, 32, has spent the past two seasons with the Suns after signing with the team in November 2020. He helped Phoenix reach the NBA Finals in 2021, and he was again an integral part of the team's rotation last season, as he started in all 67 of his appearances. For the season, Crowder averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 28.1 minutes per game.
In addition to suiting up for the Suns, Crowder has also previously spent time with the Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Heat. He has one year and $10.1 million remaining on his current contract, and he will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
As a veteran forward capable of spacing the floor on one end and providing versatile, hard-nosed defense on the other end, Crowder would be a good fit on many teams, including the Hawks, who could use an additional veteran voice in the locker room.
