Getty Jae Crowder #99 of the Miami Heat reacts with Duncan Robinson #55, Jimmy Butler #22 and Kelly Olynyk #9 during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Three of the 2020 NBA Finals
The Miami Heat have been so swept up in potential Kevin Durant, and Donovan Mitchell trades that much of their other free agent moves have been put on the back burner as negotiations continue. Because of that, the Heat have yet to add a potential replacement to fill the hole of PJ Tucker in Miami’s starting lineup. So far, players like Haywood Highsmith have been linked as a potential answer to the Tucker role. However, the young big man may not be ready for the starting role.
The Heat have also been linked to potentially trading for David Bertans, the stretch big man for the Dallas Mavericks. LaMarcus Aldridge has also been a name that the Heat may target for their roster next season, finally bringing the star to South Beach. Miami could also look to deal for Atlanta Hawks young star John Collins, who Atlanta has been seeking trades partners for months. However, one player that is getting growing buzz in Miami is a reunion with former Heat player Jae Crowder.
Potential Heat and Jae Crowder Reunion
On August 1, Jae Crowder’s Twitter activity made headlines and caused speculation that the forward may be looking to get away from the Phoenix Suns. He removed any photos of the Suns in his profile, including his header image, along with a cryptic tweet.
“CHANGE IS INEVITABLE.. GROWTH IS OPTIONAL.!! I BELIEVE ITS TIME FOR A CHANGE… I WANNA CONTINUE GROWING.!” Crowder tweeted.
Following the tweet, Barry Jackson from the Miami Herald shared on Twitter that the Heat would, in fact, be interested in acquiring Crowder but did note that it isn’t clear how a deal could be made under the current salary cap situations for both teams.
Crowder averaged 9.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game for the Suns last season. Those numbers are a small set down from the solid play Crowder had in his twenty games with the Miami Heat, where he averaged 11.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Crowder was an excellent fit in Heat Culture, and the reunion would likely be welcomed by both sides and Heat fans.
Heat and Kevin Durant Trade Negotiations
While no talks are being made for Jae Crowder at the moment, you can add his name to a list of potential Heat targets this offseason. Recently there was one of the first major updates in Durant negotiations when it was reported that the Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai and Kevin Durant would sit down and meet for the first time since his call requesting a trade from the Nets.
“What I’m hearing is that KD is going to meet with the owner this week,” a league source told Heavy Sports Steve Bulpett. “He’s going to go directly to the owner, Joe Tsai, sometime this week. We’ll see how that works.”
It’s unclear what the result of Durant’s meeting with the Nets will be this week, and the executive said that himself.
“I don’t know,” said the exec. “I have no idea what’s going to come of that meeting. There are some things that KD is unhappy about, and I’m not sure any of that gets fixed here. But maybe it does.”