Should Bucks Push to Acquire Suns' Jae Crowder amid Latest NBA Trade Rumors?
As the 2022-23 NBA season has gotten started, Jae Crowder remains out of action. The 32-year-old forward is technically still on the Phoenix Suns' roster, but he's been away from the team while it looks to find a trade partner to move him.
In the meantime, there have been various rumored suitors. And some of them are intriguing fits for Crowder.
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat have been among the suitors for Crowder. While the Bucks and Hawks have had talks with the Suns, the Heat could also be in the mix, per Charania.
Of those teams, the Bucks may be the best potential fit for Crowder. Charania reported that Milwaukee has "recently been engaged" in discussions with Phoenix, too, so perhaps it's among the most serious of the suitors.
Crowder has played for seven teams over his first 10 NBA seasons, but he's never suited up for the Bucks. However, Milwaukee has seen what he's capable of, as it faced off with Phoenix in the 2021 NBA Finals, a series that the Bucks won in six games.
Milwaukee is hoping to win another championship this season. It should be among the top contenders in the Eastern Conference, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the team make another deep run through the playoffs.
That's why Crowder is the type of player the Bucks should be looking to add. He's an experienced veteran with a plethora of postseason experience. He even played in the NBA Finals in back-to-back years, as he also reached that point with the Heat in 2020.
After beating the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, Milwaukee is off to a 3-0 start. However, it continues to be without Khris Middleton, who has been out due to a left wrist injury. The Bucks have also been without Joe Ingles (left ACL) and Pat Connaughton (right calf).
Even though Milwaukee may not acquire Crowder in time to help fill these voids (as some of these players may not be too far from returning), he'd be another valuable player to add to this mix. Then, the Bucks also wouldn't feel the need to rush any of their injured players back into action too soon.
One of the rumored reasons for Crowder's desire to leave Phoenix had been that he wasn't happy about potentially coming off the bench rather than starting. However, he stated that's not the case.
NBA insider Chris Haynes shared during Tuesday's TNT broadcast of the Golden State-Phoenix game that Crowder said it's "definitely not true of the narrative being pushed about me starting or not."
If Crowder is open to a bench role, then he may even be a better fit in Milwaukee. The Bucks have such a talented roster that they may want to use the former Marquette standout not in their starting lineup, and that could bode well for both sides.
So it would be wise for Milwaukee to intensify its pursuit of Crowder, especially if Phoenix's asking price is reasonable. He can still be a solid contributor at this point in his career, and his leadership and experience would be a valuable addition to the Bucks' core in their chase for another NBA title.
