Jae Crowder explains why he left Heat to sign with Suns: ‘It was a business decision’
Jae Crowder’s time with the Miami Heat was very productive, but it didn’t last long.
After the Memphis Grizzlies dealt Crowder to the Heat in February 2020, he started in each of the 21 games during Miami’s playoff run that ended just two wins away from a championship last season. But Crowder left the Heat in free agency to sign with the Phoenix Suns in free agency.
Why?
“No long-term contracts, and that’s what it came down to,” Crowder said before the Suns’ matchup against the Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena on Tuesday night. “Obviously, Miami had a plan and they stuck to it. That’s all I can say about that. It was a business decision by both parties, and I had to make a decision. Didn’t think it was going to play out the way it played out, to be honest with you. But I’m ready to just close the chapter to that. It was a great one in my journey. I had a lot of fun.”
Crowder, 30, opted to sign a three-year contract worth $29 million with the Suns. Miami’s offer to Crowder included a salary for this season in the $14 million range, according to a league source, and the Heat was unwilling to offer more than one guaranteed season because of its desire to preserve future cap space.
“It was total business and I respect Pat [Riley], I respect their whole management for it,” said Crowder, who entered Tuesday averaging 10 points while shooting 38.1 percent on 6.3 three-point shot attempts per game to go with five rebounds and 2.1 assists in 38 games (23 starts) in his first season with the revitalized Suns. “They stood on it and I even gave them a whole night to think about it, but they stood on it. So I respect that and I respect that wholeheartedly. I’m just moving on. I’m happy where I’m at now. I think I made the best decision for myself and my career.”
Crowder excelled alongside Bam Adebayo as the Heat’s starting small-ball four, averaging 12 points while shooting 34.2 percent on threes, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists in the playoffs last season. The veteran shot 40 percent on 8.3 three-point shot attempts per game in the first two rounds.
At 6-6 and 235 pounds, Crowder served as the Heat’s primary defender on Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James during the playoffs.
There was mutual interest between the Heat and Crowder entering free agency, but they had two different plans. Miami did not want to offer more than one season of guaranteed money and Crowder was looking for long-term security.
“I thought about it. I slept on it. I gave them a whole other night,” Crowder said when asked if he considered sacrificing stability to return to Miami on a short-term contract. “I just wanted to make the best decision for myself, obviously. I was very comfortable here. My home is here. Everything was right, everything felt right. We had made a run and I wanted to make it again, honestly I did. But I wanted to set myself up financially a little bit better than what was offered. That’s what it really came down to.”
Crowder, who made Miami his offseason home four years ago, said he has kept in touch with his former Heat teammates despite signing elsewhere.
“I talk to guys all the time,” he said. “Obviously, me and Jimmy [Butler] still hold a close relationship and obviously me and Bam [Adebayo] held a great relationship, as well, and Udonis [Haslem]. Those three guys I talk to the most. But I’ve talked to pretty much everybody on the team at some point since leaving. So the respect and love that we had for one another is there. It will always be there because we did do something special.”
After Crowder committed to the Suns, the Heat responded by signing guard Avery Bradley and forward Moe Harkless in free agency. But Bradley and Harkless have yet to find consistent roles with the Heat.
Bradley has been limited to just 10 games this season because of injuries and a COVID-19 diagnosis. And Harkless has played in just 11 games, with injuries and protocol-related issues keeping him out of 13 games and he has also fallen out of the Heat’s rotation after opening the season as a starter.
When asked what he learned from his short Heat experience, Crowder answered “just how hard it is to win on a nightly basis and what it takes for a team to form.”
“I just think the relationships that we built and how we came together as a team and the bond we grew together, it definitely helped win some games in the bubble,” he said. “I think that’s what I took from that experience with these guys and that’s what I would take for the rest of my career. Just preaching the bond, the continuity together, always being on the same page. We had that here and it was no coincidence that we did what we did. We fell short, but it was a great run.”
VACCINATED FANS SECTION
Miami will be the first team in the NBA to have sections of seats designated for vaccinated fans only.
The Heat will designate two sections at AmericanAirlines Arena for vaccinated fans starting next month, requiring fans to present proof of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-issued COVID-19 vaccination card to sit in the more tightly packed sections.
Sections 117 and 118 in the lower bowl will be designated for the vaccinated fans and pods of seats will be separated by just one chair. Vaccinated fans will enter through a separate gate and present proof of vaccination — showing they were vaccinated at least 14 days prior to the game — and a government-issued ID.
“You already have been getting a sense that things are starting to change and maybe go in a much more positive direction, just even the environment in our building. I remember those first couple games that we had in the beginning of the year where there literally was nobody here — that was an eerie experience,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Having the fans that we do have in here, it feels like it’s a full house by comparison. Things are moving. All of us can’t wait until we get our building full again.”
Pre-sale for the next slate of home games begin March 25. International certifications of vaccination will not be accepted. General seating is still available for non-vaccinated fans following previously established social-distancing protocols.
INJURY UPDATE
The Heat remains without Bradley (right calf strain), Goran Dragic (lower back spasms) and Haslem (health and safety protocols because of contact tracing) on Tuesday against the Suns.
It marks the 23rd straight game Bradley has missed because of his calf injury. Dragic will miss his second consecutive game because of his back issue and Haslem will miss his third consecutive game because of protocols.
Forward KZ Okpala will also be unavailable Tuesday against the Suns because of health and safety protocols. The fact that Okpala, who entered protocols on Tuesday, was ruled out does not suggest that he tested positive for COVID-19, but only means the reason is related to the virus.
Players who are determined to be close contacts to a positive COVID-19 case are expected to usually be sidelined for seven days, and those who test positive for the virus likely have to miss at least about two weeks.
TRADE EXCEPTION EXPIRES
The Heat’s $7.5 million trade exception expired at 11:59 p.m. on Monday without being used. Many trade exceptions simply expire without being used because the number of rotation-caliber players who can be acquired thorough this mechanism is often very limited.
Next up for the Heat: Thursday’s 3 p.m. NBA trade deadline.
RILEY ON BAYLOR
Heat president Pat Riley on Monday released a statement on the passing of his former Lakers teammate Elgin Baylor: “Besides being one of the greatest players in the history of the game, Elgin Baylor was one of the classiest, most dignified men of integrity I have ever met. He will be missed.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 9:01 AM.
