Jae Crowder, a two-way wing with the ability to defend the 1-4 positions, has long been linked to the Boston Celtics (among others) via trade — but those plans could soon change due to a key injury in the Phoenix Suns’ rotation.
The Suns, who sit atop the Western Conference with a 7-2 record, will be losing Cam Johnson due to a torn meniscus in his right knee. Johnson, who has averaged 13 points and three rebounds per game in eight appearances so far, will need surgery and could miss up to two months rehabbing the injury.
Crowder had previously mutually agreed with the Phoenix front office that he’d sit out until the team was able to find a suitable trade for both sides, but this injury news could complicate that arrangement.
Without Johnson, the Suns could rely on Torrey Craig, Damion Lee, and give extra minutes to Mikal Bridges, but it’d be a far easier fix to simply re-instate Crowder. For his part, he has deleted many of the anti-Suns tweets he sent out during the summer.
The Boston Celtics may have pulled interest in Jae Crowder before Cam Johnson injury
Even before Cam Johnson went down with an injury, the prospect of a Jae Crowder trade to the Boston Celtics seemed like a fading possibility. MassLive’s Brian Robb recently doubted the 32-year-old realistically solving any of the C’s defensive issues and wondered whether or not it’d be worth it for Boston to give up any assets of value for an expiring contract. From the sounds of it, a Celtics pursuit of Crowder is unlikely at this point.
Crowder would be a better gamble for a team in need of shooting like the Dallas Mavericks, where he began his career there after being drafted in the second round. If Dallas were to consider a Crowder pursuit, they can cobble together several minimum contracts while offering a prospect like Josh Green in return.