Heat Could Reunite With Fan Favorite After Being Put on Trade Block

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 linked to a reunion with fan favorite forward Jae Crowder on a number of occasions now. However, Crowder is also doing his part to help fuel rumors for him to return to South Beach. The former Heat forward recently pinned a comment on his Instagram page encouraging the Heat to bring him back. The pin comes after a number of cryptic social media posts that some believe hinted at Crowder’s desire to be moved from the Phoenix Suns and the Arizona desert. 

Jae Crowder Available for Trades

While the Crowder possibilities were widely rumors throughout the summer, Brian Windhorst confirmed that the Suns are in fact, shopping the veteran forward. On the September 19 episode of ESPN’s NBA Today, the insider confirmed that Crowder is available on the NBA Trade Market. 

“They’ve been very active within the last week. They are conducting business. They’re in trade negotiations right now. Now, a lot of them are centered in Jae Crowder. Jae Crowder is available on the market right now. Whether or not there is going to be a deal for him to materialize before now and next week’s trade deadline? That will have to wait and see, but Jae Crowder is a guy in the last year of his contract and you know it’s possible that they could do a deal that would bring back more money and Bobby [Marks] and folks that I’m talking to they don’t get the sense that the Suns are afraid to continue to spend,” Windhorst said. “It would not surprise me if the Suns get involved in the negotiations for Bojan Bogdanovic from the Utah Jazz who’s available on the market right now. Several teams are bidding for him. Also, they are negotiating from what I’ve been told with Cam Johnson on a long-term contract extension. That wouldn’t affect this year’s salary, that will be for down the line, but it does indicate that they are looking to invest long-term in another player.” 

Even with Crowder available, what it would take to trade for him remains unknown. The Suns are reportedly interested in entering the Bojan Bogdanovic sweepstakes and could look to try to include Crowder in those deals. As far as players the Heat could offer for the veteran forward, the name that keeps being included in rumors is Duncan Robinson. Would the Suns be interested in the shooting and spacing that he could provide to their second unit? Crowder wouldn’t merit a bigger offer than that. Perhaps a player with upside like Omer Yurtseven, but the Heat would likely hope to keep him. At this point even with all the links, it is hard to see an avenue for the deal to get done. 

Potential PJ Tucker Replacement

The urgency the Heat may place on a Crowder discussion could rely on how they feel about filling the role of PJ Tucker after his departure this offseason. Crowder is another hard-nosed defensive big man that could slide in and play a similar role as Tucker. Currently, Caleb Martin is set to slide in the role. The Heat are said to be confident in Martin and what he can provide in an increased role, but it’s unclear how effective it will be or if it is the right role for the forward. If Miami is at all hesitant or doubting Martin, perhaps they may be more aggressive in pursuit of Crowder now that he is officially on the Suns’ trade block.