Will Jae Crowder Remain a Celtic?
By Jake Schwab
As the Celtics continue to battle King James and the Cavs, questions continue to rise in wonderment of what the Celtics’ roster will look like at the start of the 2017-18 season.
One of the biggest questions the Celtics must ask themselves is: Will they trade or keep their prized pick.
Many have wondered if Paul George or Jimmy Butler could be suiting up in Celtic green rather than the young prospect Markelle Fultz. Even though the Celtics could trade the pick, it could cost a little something extra to acquire a player of that caliber.
In previous trade talks with the Bulls, it was revealed that the sticking point in the talks happened to be Jae Crowder. Had Danny Ainge decided to let go of Crowder, the fans would currently be witnessing a Butler vs. James series (seeing that Isaiah Thomas had to end his season early due to injury).
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On another note, near the end of the trade deadline, Ainge was making an effort to acquire George from the Pacers. In their talks, the Pacers wanted draft picks as well as two of the four following players: Avery Bradley, Jaylen Brown, Crowder and/or Marcus Smart.
Out of the talk between the Celtics and both teams, there happened to be a common interest in Crowder.
As Crowder has proven during the regular season that he is worthy of being a starter, he clearly wouldn’t be too accepting of a bench role, making him more expendable than the other trade candidates.
Crowder happens to also be on a bargain of a contract as he is in the second year of a 5 year deal, making an average salary of 7 million. With Crowder not being a free agent until 2020, he can provide the efficiency teams need from a forward at the best possible price.
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If the team were to decide on sending away Crowder, it would have to be for a player capable of playing as a forward, due to the fact that Crowder has cemented himself as the team’s starting small forward. Only time will tell just what moves the Celtics will be making.