By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
It has been a rough off-season for the entire Phoenix Suns management.
After owner Robert Saver was caught in a recent racist scandal that urged him to find new buyers for the Mercury and Suns franchises, an issue with veteran small forward Jae Crowder is the newest thing that they have to deal with.
It was already confirmed that Crowder will no longer be participating in the upcoming training camp of the Phoenix Suns this October.
Also, in a mutual agreement between Crowder’s camp and the Phoenix management, he will no longer be playing with the team and is requesting a trade.
Phoenix announced that they are trying their best to find potential trade partners that can offer a deal for Crowder but a single trade package is yet to be finalized.
Crowder, one of the veteran leaders of the squad who helped Phoenix reach the finals against the Milwaukee Bucks two years ago, is entering the final year of his three-year $29million contract.
However, due to unclear reasons, Crowder expressed that he will no longer have one last ride together with Devin Booker, Chris Paul, and Deandre Ayton.
Crowder helped transform the Suns into a legitimate playoff team but things went shaky after the team lost to Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks during the Western Conference semifinals.
According to reports, Phoenix opened their lines to possible trades with the Utah Jazz and the Minnesota Timberwolves for the release of Crowder.
Crowder’s loss will be a huge blow to the Suns as they are set to lose one of the best two-way players in the league, a guy who can knock down wide-open treys while sprinting back hard on the defensive end.
“One must seek work where he is wanted. Where he is needed! I am thankful for what these past two years have taught me! Now I must take on another challenge with continued hard work and dedication. For those of you who closed the door on me, thank you! 99 back soon,” Crowder posted on his Twitter account.
