Suns Should Remain Patient on Jae Crowder Trade amid Latest John Collins, NBA Rumors

The Phoenix Suns may be close to ending the trade drama surrounding dormant forward Jae Crowder. The 32-year-old has not played this season, via mutual agreement, as Phoenix has attempted to flip him for a contributing role player.

According to Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer, the Suns were close to finalizing a deal earlier in the week:

Unless Phoenix has a "can't-miss" deal on the table, it should continue to exercise patience on the trade front. One big reason for this is that the Suns appear to have a shot at Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins.

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Collins is a player the Suns covet, with a caveat:

"The Hawks have opened up preliminary trade discussions around forward John Collins, as interested teams inquire, league sources tell The Athletic. The Suns are a team showing desire in Collins, those sources have added, but they appear uninclined to take on the long-term money of Collins, who is in the second season of a five-year, $125 million contract. The Hawks don’t have an imminent deal in place involving Collins, those sources say, and executives around the league believe a potential deal will be weeks and potentially months in the making ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline"

Collins is a logical trade target for Phoenix. He's a starting-caliber 25-year-old who is averaging 12.4 points and 7.9 rebounds this season. He would be an upgrade over Torrey Craig, and adding him would be the sort of win-now move that could help the Suns maximize whatever is left of Chris Paul's prime.

As Charania mentioned, however, Phoenix may not be eager to take on the entirety of Collins' contract. That deal, according to Spotrac, is set to pay him $25.3 million next season.

If the Suns are to move on Collins, they need to get the best deal possible—which means including as little trade capital outside of Crowder as possible.

Waiting until we're closer to the trade deadline could help in this regard. Charania reported back in October that the Hawks are interested in adding Crowder. Presumably, the Suns will find even more suitors near the deadline, as contending teams and desperate teams alike seek reinforcements.

A stronger market for Crowder can help provide Phoenix with leverage in trade talks. At the same time, more trade targets could emerge. Per Charania, the Suns have also looked into forwards like Harrison Barnes and Kyle Kuzma.

And Phoenix shouldn't be desperate to make a deal now. The Suns are 9-6 and near the top of the Western Conference standings. Paul's heel injury is somewhat concerning, but it's unlikely to sink the season. There's no need to force a knee-jerk trade right now.

Could the Suns fear missing out on Collins? Perhaps, but if they're indeed not sold on picking up his contract, that fear shouldn't be an impetus for a trade. Phoenix can and will find other trade options, and it's not as if the ability to move Crowder will suddenly disappear.

If the Suns do flip the switch on a Crowder trade in the immediate future—be it for Collins or someone else—it had better be in a deal that benefits the franchise in both the short and long terms.

Trading Crowder just to add a player who can contribute wouldn't provide maximum value. Neither would be overpaying to take on a contract that the franchise doesn't necessarily want over the next few years.

Of course, with the Suns' impending ownership chance potentially followed by a regime change, general manager James Jones and coach Monty Williams may be less concerned with the implications beyond the 2022-23 season.

This is why a trade may well come together quickly, even if the Suns can get themselves a better deal in a month or two.