Following their fourth straight loss on Sunday night, the Phoenix Suns continue to expose their flaws in marvelous ways. Besides a lack of depth and size off the bench, the Suns have a tendency to collapse at the worst of times.
And now, in the aftermath of a humbling 0-2 defeat in New Orleans, the Suns may resort to extreme measures in order to improve the roster. According to the latest report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Jae Crowder has been the focal point of a potential three-team deal with the Rockets and Bucks.
Multiple league sources said the Suns recently engaged in three-team talks that would have sent Crowder to Milwaukee, four Bucks second-round draft picks along with players to Houston, and Eric Gordon and/or Kenyon Martin Jr. to Phoenix. The hold up in the potential three-teamer was that the Rockets are coveting one first-round pick for Gordon, and for Martin a very good first-rounder, not a batch of second-rounders, according to sources. The Rockets have had interest in Gordon from several contending teams, sources said, but appear less willing to entertain the topic of Martin.
As a team on a full-on rebuild, it makes sense why the Rockets would want to play hardball with their last remaining trade assets. Still, if they can be convinced to part with Gordon or Kenyon Martin Jr., it could be a huge boost to the Suns.
Of course, for the Bucks, they’d come out as the biggest winners by landing the three-and-D veteran, so many teams have coveted.
How Much Can Jae Crowder Help The Bucks?
Crowder, 32, hasn’t played since the 2021-22 season when he averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game on 39% shooting. While it remains to be seen what level he’ll be at upon his return, his shooting alone should help them win some games.
The biggest question is, what kind of distraction will he be? It’s no secret that his Phoenix tenure was cagey, and there are a lot of unanswered questions about his exit…
“I thought the way Phoenix played the situation was strange,” one Western Conference executive told Yahoo Sports. “You’re not a super deep team. You’re a contender. Doesn’t it seem like there’s some other way to resolve this other than him sitting out and hurting your depth?For Jae to hold out is pretty rare. It’s pretty extreme,” one Eastern Conference executive said. “It’s really interesting they didn’t just play hardball with him.”
If Crowder can avoid any more falling outs, he could be the final piece to a championship team. We’ll find out soon enough what he’s got left in the tank.
As for the NBA trade market, we can expect things to heat up in a few days when the NBA’s December 15th date passes and opens up a lot of trade opportunities that aren’t there now.
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