Jae Crowder’s strained relationship with the Suns reportedly took another turn for the worse on Sunday as the team begins its preparation for the 2022–23 season.
The veteran forward has reached a mutual agreement with the organization to not participate in training camp as the two sides work to find a trade, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Phoenix is set to host media day on Monday before opening training camp on Tuesday.
Roughly an hour after Charania’s report, Crowder, 32, shared his thoughts on the situation on Twitter and Instagram, along with a video chronicling his offseason.
“ONE MUST SEEK WORK WHERE HE IS WANTED,” he wrote. “WHERE HE IS NEEDED.! I AM THANKFUL FOR WHAT THESE PAST 2 YRS HAVE TAUGHT ME.! NOW I MUST TAKE ON ANOTHER CHALLENGE WITH CONTINUED HARDWORK & DEDICATION.! FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO CLOSED THE DOOR ON ME…. THANK YOU! 99 BACK SOON.!”
While the reasons behind the expected parting remain unclear, the 11-year vet has shared a number of messages on social media expressing his apparent discontent with the club in recent months.
Last month, Crowder tweeted, “CHANGE IS INEVITABLE.. GROWTH IS OPTIONAL.!! I BELIEVE ITS TIME FOR A CHANGE… I WANNA CONTINUE GROWING.!” He shared a more direct take on his future with the team this past Friday in a response to The Republic’s Duane Rankin after the reporter suggested forward Cam Johnson could compete for a starting spot during the preseason.
“99 WONT BE THERE!,” Crowder tweeted and later deleted.
Crowder, who is entering the final year of a three-year deal he signed with Phoenix in Nov. 2020, has played a pivotal role in the past two seasons. He has started 109 of his 127 games played during the regular season and averaged 9.7 points and five rebounds on 27.8 minutes a night.
The three-and-D wing has also started all 35 of the Suns’ playoff games, including their run to the 2021 NBA Finals where he averaged 11.7 PPG and 8.5 RPG in a six-game loss to the Bucks.
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