Suns' Jae Crowder Says Narrative That He Wants Trade over Starting Role Isn't True

Jae Crowder is still seeking a trade from the Phoenix Suns, but the veteran forward told TNT's Chris Haynes that the trade talks are not about him losing his starting role with the team:

"The business of basketball has taken its course, and changes have come," Crowder said in a statement to Haynes. "I do not want to give the details just yet, but it's definitely not true of the narrative being pushed about me starting or not."

The TNT crew instead speculated that it's about Crowder's contract situation as he heads into the final year of his current deal.

The 32-year-old has been away from the team since training camp as part of a mutual agreement to work out a trade.

The Milwaukee Bucks recently engaged in talks on Crowder, joining the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks in pursuit of the forward, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Crowder started all 67 games he played for the Suns last season, plus 13 playoff games, helping the squad post the best record in the NBA at 64-18. He averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game as a versatile contributor on both ends of the court.

Of the regular-rotation players for Phoenix last season, no one had a better plus-minus per 100 possessions than Crowder at 10.6, per Basketball Reference.

The on-court impact and postseason experience makes him highly sought-after among contenders, although there is clearly no issue with his role regardless of where he lands.

Crowder was a full-time starter last year, but he came off the bench at times for Phoenix in 2020-21 and was mostly a bench player with the Utah Jazz in 2018-19. He is still likely to get his regular minutes, whether it comes at the beginning of the game or the end.

Cameron Johnson has slid into the starting lineup for the Suns in place of Crowder, helping the team get off to a 3-1 start in 2022-23.