Phoenix Suns edging closer to Jae Crowder replacement
It may have been an offseason of very little change for the Phoenix Suns to date, but the situation could be about to drastically change as we inch closer to the start of training camp.
Bojan Bogdanovic’s name has been mentioned multiple times here at Valley of the Suns, with the chances of a deal increasing following the Utah Jazz’ decision to trade their star, Donovan Mitchell, to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday.
With the Donovan Mitchell domino falling, the Phoenix Suns could be in the box seat for the Utah Jazz’ next major move in coming weeks.
According to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports, the Suns have already reached out to the Jazz in registering their interest in Bogdanovic. This isn’t overly surprising in the wake of the Mitchell trade – if there was any consideration that the Jazz may keep their three-time All-Star and their experienced pieces, then that’s now gone completely out the window.
It now appears open season for any team to make an offer on the likes of Bogdanovic, Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson – three staples of Utah’s success across the last few seasons. That doesn’t mean Danny Ainge will be giving them up cheaply, as clearly demonstrated in the Mitchell and Rudy Gobert deals.
However, there is literally no reason for these calibre of players to remain on Utah’s roster. Given they’re not the stature of Gobert and Mitchell, there should be less quibble regarding the Jazz’ remaining experienced players.
Bogdanovic has proven himself one of the league’s elite three-point shooters across his career, producing between 17-20 points per game on around 40% from three over the last four seasons. The Croatian is on an expiring $19.5 million contract and would make a nice upgrade from Jae Crowder, with the latter seemingly voicing his desire for a trade away from the Suns.
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A recent trade proposal has seen Bogdanovic moved to the Suns for Crowder, Landry Shamet and a protected first-round pick. That seems like a straight-forward trade that could materialise – possibly in the next few hours, days or weeks.