NBA Trade Rumors: Jae Crowder interested in getting traded to one of his former teams

Jae Crowder was sent to the Miami Heat in a 2020 trade deadline deal that also brought in Andre Iguodala from the Memphis Grizzlies. Crowder didn't spend much time with the Heat. He signed a three-year, $29 million contract with the Phoenix Suns the following offseason. Entering the final year of that deal, Crowder and the Suns are reportedly looking to part ways.

While it is unclear where he will end up, Crowder is reportedly open to a return to the Heat, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Jackson stated:

"We hear Jae Crowder would welcome a return to the Heat and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst — while not mentioning the Heat or any team — said the Suns are “are in trade negotiations right now. A lot of them are centered around Jae Crowder. Jae Crowder is a player who is available on the market right now.”

Crowder started all 21 playoff games for the Heat in 2020, when they lost in the NBA Finals to the Lakers. He would go on to start all 22 postseason games for the Suns in 2021, which also ended in an NBA Finals loss. This time to the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Suns fell flat in the 2022 postseason. They were eliminated after suffering an embarrassing 123-90 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals.

The emergence of Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson has made Crowder an expendable piece on the Suns roster. With Crowder set to lose playing time to Johnson and Bridges, it makes sense for both sides to move on from one another.

Jae Crowder upset about losing NBA Finals

Jae Crowder has made the playoffs every season of his career outside of his rookie campaign in 2012/13. This has resulted in him scoring more career playoff points than All-Stars such as Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday. Both of those players ended his championship hopes in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

Crowder recently caught wind of a tweet referencing that statistic, and had this to say:

Crowder has been a key role player on several playoff teams. He has averaged 10.7 points and 5.4 rebounds over a span of 100 career playoff games. Anthony Davis has averaged 27.3 points over 39 playoff games, while Jrue Holiday has averaged 17.5 points over 65 games in the postseason.

Derrick Rose and Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady, the other two players on the list, have also excelled in the playoffs.

Rose has averaged 22.4 points over 51 career playoff games. McGrady posted 22.2 points a game in 50 career playoff contests.

Crowder and the Suns kick off their 2022-23 season with a home game against the Dallas Mavericks on October 19.