Ever since the Phoenix Suns began pursuing a trade involving veteran forward Jae Crowder, the Miami Heat have been seen as one of the top potential landing spots.
Not only would Crowder help satisfy a need that the Heat have for a veteran forward, but the 10-year professional also spent a portion of the 2019-20 season with the franchise. He was a full-time starter during the team’s run to the 2020 NBA Finals.
According to a recent report, if the Heat want to get a trade for Crowder done, then they are going to have to send small forward Max Strus to Phoenix as part of the deal.
“Miami is among the teams Phoenix has touched base with on a Crowder deal,” wrote Ian Begley. “Per SNY sources, some with Phoenix see Miami’s Max Strus as an integral part of any return for Crowder. I’d assume that Miami would be reluctant to move Strus in a deal for Crowder.”
As the report indicates, this could become a major sticking point in any trade discussions between the two sides. Strus is in his third year with the Heat, and he has become a crucial member of the nightly rotation. He has started in almost half of the games he’s played in thus far this season.
On the year, Strus is averaging 14.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. He has also been one of the team’s better shooters, hitting 35.9 percent of his deep balls while averaging 7.7 attempts per game.
For the Heat, sending Strus away to acquire Crowder would feel a lot like trying to fill one hole by creating another. That’s obviously not what Heat team president Pat Riley and the rest of the front office have in mind.
Perhaps this is just the Suns trying to figure out who exactly the Heat would be willing to part ways with in a deal. After all, there are other shooters on Miami’s roster that could help the Suns.
Surely, Miami will look to see if there are other options in terms of a Crowder trade aside from parting ways with Strus. However, if Strus does end up being the only player the Suns are reasonably interested in on the Heat’s roster, Miami may have to start looking elsewhere when it comes to adding a veteran forward.