NBA Rumors: The Two East Contenders Jae Crowder Prefers

After spending months figuring out what to do with Deandre Ayton, the Phoenix Suns finally signed the veteran big man, ensuring he’ll stick around. Now, Phoenix has to figure out what to do with the veteran Jae Crowder.

In September, Crowder’s cryptic tweet hinted that he would like a fresh start in a new situation. Once the Suns linked up for training camp this offseason, Crowder stayed away from the team and refused to take the court until he was somewhere he felt wanted.

The Suns are open to moving Crowder for the right price, but they aren’t feeling forced to undersell the valuable veteran at this time.

It seems the Eastern Conference is where Crowder is headed if traded soon. He hasn’t been linked to the Philadelphia 76ers or anybody else in the Atlantic Division at this time, but a recent report from Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer hints that Crowder wants to join either the Miami Heat or the Atlanta Hawks.

The Latest on Crowder’s Interests

“Along with Miami, inquiring teams have been told Atlanta is Crowder’s other preferred landing spot. While the Hawks have made calls about injured wing Bogdan Bogdanovic, a potential framework of Crowder and Landry Shamet for Bogdanovic has made the rounds among front office personnel, although one source with knowledge of the situation claimed Shamet is not part of any active Suns conversations with Atlanta. The Hawks and Suns have had dialogue on Crowder throughout the summer.”

Landing in Miami would be a reunion for Crowder, who has played on seven different teams since 2012. Back in 2020, Crowder landed in Miami via trade from the Memphis Grizzlies. He spent 20 games on the court with the Heat, averaging 11 points and five rebounds.

In the Heat’s 2020 playoff run, Crowder started in 21 games and put up 12 points per game while coming down with five rebounds per game.

Considering Crowder produced his second-best playoff numbers in Miami, the Heat would be an excellent spot for the veteran. However, Atlanta is the latest team in play for his services.

Earlier this week, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Hawks are growing interested in having a veteran like Crowder join the recently-formed big three of Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, and John Collins. Would Crowder take the Hawks over the top? That’s unclear.

Either way, if Crowder were to land in Miami or Atlanta, that would be a tough sign for the Sixers, who have struggled against both teams in the playoffs in recent years.

Last season, the Sixers came up short to the Heat in the second round after losing four of six games. Two years ago, the 76ers were stunned when the Hawks came to South Philly for a Game 7 and took out the top-seeded Sixers in Atlanta’s first playoff run since 2017.

Miami and Atlanta seem to be the most likely landing spots for Crowder at this time, but a deal still seems far away right now.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.