Jae Crowder is available. The hard part is a trade.

Sep 20, 2022 - 9:57 PM

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Brian Windhorst of ESPN said yesterday that the Phoenix Suns have made Jae Crowder available in trade discussions. Last month, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald said the Miami Heat would be open to a reunion with Crowder, who played with Miami during the 2020 Finals run in the Bubble. Crowder’s own likes on Twitter seem to signal that he’d enjoy returning as well.

The problem, as Jackson wrote in an article today, is that it’s difficult to craft a trade for Crowder. The veteran Miami reporter said that it’d be surprising if the Phoenix Suns agreed to take on the four years remaining on Duncan Robinson’s contract in exchange for Crowder, who is entering the final year of his contract. On the other hand, it’d be surprising if the Heat offered a first-round pick for Crowder, he said.

If Robinson shoots above 40 percent from 3 to start the season, will the Suns view a trade of Crowder for Robinson favorably? Was Max Strus’ great shooting last year an outlier? Strus shot 41 percent from 3 last season, but 33.8 percent the year before. He also never shot above 40 percent from 3 in college. Strus’ knock-down shooting made Robinson expendable last year, but who knows if that continues this season.

In February 2020, the Heat traded Justise Winslow, James Johnson and Dion Waiters for Crowder, Andre Iguodala and Solomon Hill.