Jae Crowder turned down more money from the Dallas Mavericks to sign with the Phoenix Suns because he wanted to play with All-Star shooting guard Devin Booker.
One of the better 3-and-D players in the NBA, Crowder signed a three-year, $29.2 million contract with the Suns. The versatile swingman told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo that Booker is the main reason he's in Phoenix.
“Being a competitor and going against Devin Booker for so many years, a player like that in our league who is a top, top talent. He’s a top talent in our league, and I just felt like as a player, he’s earned my respect on the court and he’s earned the league’s respect for the work he put in and I think it’s time for him to play some meaningful basketball,” Jae Crowder said.
“The way they finished the season last year, everyone took notice. Not only myself but the whole entire league took notice of how they came inside the bubble and handled business. And I noticed that and that attracted me to be here where I am today.”
The Suns went 8-0 during the seeding games at Walt Disney World in the NBA bubble. Although Booker and Co. missed the 2020 playoffs, they are going to be a tough team to deal with in 2020-21 after the big trade the front office made this offseason.
Phoenix acquired future Hall of Famer Chris Paul from the Oklahoma City Thunder. While nothing is set in stone, the Suns will likely start Paul, Booker, Mikal Bridges, Crowder and Deandre Ayton in 2020-21.
With the Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Heat last season, Crowder averaged 10.5 points per game and shot 34.3 percent from beyond the arc. The Suns are getting a quality veteran who played in the 2020 Finals.
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