Phoenix Suns Signing Regrades: Signing Jae Crowder as a Free Agent in 2020
After making his own run to the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat during the NBA’s bubble restart, Jae Crowder also carried a winning mentality beside himself once hitting free agent market last summer. That likely attracted Jones, who offered up a three year, $9.7 million dollar contract.
This relatively cheap deal paired with Crowder’s production makes this arguably the best pound-for-pound signing catalogued on our list. Last year, Crowder averaged 10.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game while shooting 38.9 percent from deep. He started every single playoff game for the Suns, and also operated as a lock down defender.
Doing all that while cashing checks smaller than 22 other starting small forwards somewhat stinks for Crowder, but absolutely rocks for the Suns. For a team likely to raise their spending even more down the road by extending Mikal Bridges and Deandre Ayton, deals like this not only come as nice knocks for the Suns, but also necessary ones for them to compete without totally breaking their bank.
Crowder’s deal runs out two years from now, and if Phoenix makes another deep run with him as a key contributor, he likely earns for a more lucrative contract elsewhere. So for now, enjoy him as much as you can.