Bucks keeping defensive specialist on one-year deal

Free-agent forward Jae Crowder will return to the Milwaukee Bucks, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and TNT (Twitter link), who reports that Crowder has agreed to a one-year deal with Milwaukee.

Milwaukee shipped out five second-round draft picks to acquire the 32-year-old vet in a three-team exchange with the Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets in February.

Exact terms of the agreement have yet to be unveiled. The Bucks are limited to minimum-salary signings after having committed the rest of their available cap space to free-agent starters Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, both inked to lucrative multi-year deals. That said, because Milwaukee possesses Crowder’s Bird rights, the team could sign him to a contract slightly above the standard minimum if needed.

A journeyman 3-and-D role player for several high-level postseason teams, the 6-foot-6 power forward appeared in 18 contests for the Bucks as a reserve 3-and-D combo forward last year, averaging 6.9 PPG on .479/.436/.833 shooting splits, 3.8 RPG, 1.5 APG and 0.7 SPG. He was cut from Milwaukee’s healthy playoff rotation by then-head coach Mike Budenholzer during its five-game first round series loss to the Miami Heat. Budenholzer reinserted the Marquette alum in limited minutes after All-NBA power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo hurt his back in Game 1.

The Bucks’ salary obligations have sent them careening over the league’s new second luxury tax apron, which means they don’t have access to the taxpayer’s midlevel exception, valued at $5M this year, nor their biannual exception, worth $4.5M.

Adding Crowder, who served as the starting four on consecutive Finals teams in 2020 (the Heat) and 2021 (the Suns), is the kind of buy-low move that Milwaukee needs to nail if it hopes to return to playoff glory next spring.