Atlanta Hawks in talks about Western Conference rival’s disgruntled forward

The Atlanta Hawks are not done making tweaks to their roster. They have already made one blockbuster deal, swinging a trade with the San Antonio Spurs for guard Dejounte Murray. On top of that, they made a call to the Brooklyn Nets to inquire about superstar forward Kevin Durant.

More than that, the Hawks put in an offer for the 12-time All-Star, though it is one that was viewed as cursory with the front office knowing it was well short of the Nets’ asking price.

But the fact remains, the Hawks are probably at least one move away from title contention.

That move could be relatively minor – especially after their promising showing in the preseason opener against the Milwaukee Bucks. They had another strong showing in the second game without Murray which could lead them to focus on a small tweak with major implications.

Disgruntled Suns F Jae Crowder on Atlanta Hawks’ radar, says insider

Jae Crowder has been vocal in his displeasure with his current situation and the Phoenix Suns who are going through plenty of other turmoil. Crowder has even taken to social media, sending tweets about not attending Suns training camp. That was later confirmed along with reports that he and Phoenix general manager James Jones would work towards a resolution.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Hawks have not only emerged as suitors for the 10-year veteran.

They have had conversations with the Suns about acquiring him.

“The Hawks have emerged as a suitor among interested teams in Suns forward Jae Crowder. The Hawks and Suns have had conversations in recent weeks and months, I’m told, as Atlanta has seen if there’s a pathway to bring Crowder into a Big Three of Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, and John Collins.”

Crowder averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.4 steals while starting 67 games last season. He is coming off of a poor shooting season but has shot as high as 38.9% from beyond the arc just two years ago.

He is entering the final year of his contract with a $10.2 million cap hit. That is where things could get complicated for the Hawks.

There was also a suggestion that a deal centered around Justin Holiday and Jalen Johnson would be the most likely composition of a trade package to land Crowder. But, as it is with previous pushes for them to move on from the second-year forward, the Hawks have zero incentive to do so unless a deal blows them away.

The other interesting note is that Charania listed Collins, not De’Andre Hunter, as the third member of the Hawks’ top trio.

Collins has been bandied about in trade talks for the last two seasons.

Hunter was recently believed to be among the near-untouchable players in trade talks, though there has been little to no movement on an extension as he heads into a contract season.

Crowder would be an asset, sure.

But he is far from the type of asset worth giving up on a 20-year-old Johnson for just yet. That is without addressing Crowder being willing to accept a bench role which is reported to factor into his animus towards the Suns.

The Hawks have developed good chemistry quickly despite all of the roster turnover this offseason.

Their pursuit of further upgrades to the group will have to be weighed even heavier against disrupting their core and the connections forming on the court.