Continuing our series to find one player from every team the Atlanta Hawks could sign this off-season. Here, we move onto the Miami Heat.
The Miami Heat have quite a few starting-caliber players set to become free agents that the Atlanta Hawks could be interested in this off-season. Goran Dragic, Solomon Hill, Jae Crowder, Meyers Leonard, and Derrick Jones Jr could all fit well in Atlanta and are coming off the books after the Orlando bubble pops.
Who would fit best? I’ll go with Crowder, the veteran forward who is still an above-average wing defender who has played on more than a few playoff teams. The 30-year-old wing saw his offensive numbers decline in his season with the Grizzlies and Heat this season, but still shot above 38 percent from the field.
His always energetic perimeter defense did not deteriorate, however, racking up 67 steals, his highest since the 2016-2017 season. He’s more than just a pair of shifty hands and is as physical as he is killed when it comes to staying in front of his man in isolation.
Crowder is fearless and not afraid to match up with the opponents’ top scorer. That mentality and his natural defensive instincts will always have a place in the league, especially if his clip from three-point land bumps up a few points.
The Atlanta Hawks are still searching for any help they can get defensively, even with Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter holding their own on that end as rookies. Crowder could slide right into the Hawks’ rotation has a high volume bench piece, fitting the veteran 3-and-D mold.
The Georiga native shouldn’t be too expensive for the team either, potentially not costing much more than the league minimum. Although nowhere near as experienced, he could be the perfect candidate to fill the Vince Carter role on the bench.
Should the Atlanta Hawks sign Jae Crowder this off-season?