Despite a whole lot of interest from around the league in Jae Crowder, the Phoenix Suns have yet to pull the trigger on a trade deal for the 32-year-old veteran. Crowder clearly wants out and he has refused to play a single minute for the Suns until this issue is resolved.
Despite this fact, the Suns still have Crowder on their payroll. For his part, Phoenix general manager James Jones had nothing bad to say about the 6-foot-6 forward amid his holdout with the team. The high-ranking team executive was recently asked about still having to pay Crowder his salary in spite of him not being around. Jones was defiant in his response, saying that it's not as if Crowder is holding them hostage at this point:
“No, that's not what this is,” Jones said, via Suns reporter Duane Rankin. “This is a mutual understanding agreement (that) we've said since Day 1, and those factors haven't changed. That dynamic still exists.”
Q: You're still paying him?
A: "Yeah."#Suns GM and president of basketball operations James Jones on Jae Crowder.
"Jae is a good player and he can help any team and teams know that." pic.twitter.com/7h8da6tNOE
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) November 29, 2022
The Suns clearly want to trade Crowder, with teams such as the Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, and Dallas Mavericks — to name a few — all reportedly showing interest in the veteran swingman. It seems, however, that the front office is more than happy to bide their time on the Jae Crowder front as they look for the perfect deal that will be beneficial for the squad:
“It’s the NBA,” Jones said. “Timing. There aren’t any perfect times. There’s no window where they say, hey, all deals are done here. We have natural deadlines like the trade deadline where we usually have a flurry of deals, but other than that, it’s just finding the right fit and we just haven’t been able to find that yet.”
It should only be a matter of time before the Suns find a new home for Crowder. After all, the February trade deadline is fast approaching. Until then, however, Phoenix will have to cover part of the $10.2 million he's owed this season.
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