Portland Trail Blazers: 4 seasoned veterans to consider in the 2020 free agency

Heading into this season, Jae Crowder was in the final year of a five-year, $35 million deal. But of those five years, one could argue the versatile forward saved his absolute best for last.

This past year, Crowder had the most efficient season of his career, shooting 48.2 percent from the field, a remarkable feat since his offense came almost exclusively from behind the arc. That translated well into the postseason, as he was a steady producer to a Miami Heat team that came up a few wins shy of an NBA championship.

For that production — and given the fact that Crowder only just turned 30, there would be a potential market for his services. And, he’s stated that he wants to return to Miami.

But, if the Heat are going to attack the Giannis sweepstakes in 2021, they aren’t likely to want to attach long-term money to players, much less swingmen who deserve lengthy deals. This is part of the reason fellow Heat player Derrick Jones Jr. feels so attainable this fall.

One could make the case that Crowder is a hand-in-glove fit with Portland. 83.5 percent of his shots came after either one or two dribbles. He doesn’t dominate the ball, he doesn’t take shots away from more privileged stars, and he has a knack for ensuring quality spacing on the floor.

The Trevor Ariza move showed us the benefits of adding “championship pedigree” to a team. He immediately came in, and provided consistency for a team in dire need of it. Crowder probably has one more long-term high-paying deal to come in his NBA career. If he’s willing to take a pay cut to play with a generational star, the Blazers would be wise to jump at the chance, though.