Veteran forward Jae Crowder, Suns exploring trade

Power forward Jae Crowder and the Suns are hoping to find a trade for the vet, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. The 6-foot-6 forward, 32, will sit out Phoenix’s training camp as he and the Suns explore potential deals, Charania adds.

Fresh off a 2020 NBA Finals run as the Heat’s 3-and-D starting power forward, Crowder inked a three-year, $29.2M deal with the Suns ahead of the 2020-21 season.

With Phoenix, he promptly made his second straight NBA Finals appearance in 2021 as the team’s starting power forward. Last year, he started all of his 67 healthy games with the club, while the team finished with a league-leading 64-18 record. For the 2021-22 season, Crowder averaged 9.4 PPG on .399/.348/.789 shooting splits, plus 5.3 RPG, 1.9 APG, and 1.4 SPG.

Sharpshooting 6-foot-8 reserve power forward Cameron Johnson, the No. 11 pick out of North Carolina in 2019, emerged last year as a reliable scoring threat for Phoenix off the bench. The team could be looking to shore up its depth elsewhere in a potential Crowder deal, while elevating the 26-yer-old Johnson to a starting role that seemed inevitable sooner rather than later.