Miami Heat: 3 Reasons Re-Signing Jae Crowder Is a Priority

The Miami Heat will continue to prioritize cap space for next offseason, but one thing they can not do, is let Jae Crowder leave South Beach.

When the Miami Heat dealt away Justise Winslow, all the discussion was focused on the acquisition of Andre Iguodala. Iggy was in the midst of sitting out while under contract with the Memphis Grizzlies and the projection of what he could bring to the Heat outweighed the other players in the trade.

Those players were Solomon Hill and Jae Crowder. While all three of the players wound up playing important minutes down the playoff stretch, one of them had become a key piece of the Heat’s lengthy playoff run.

That was Jae Crowder.

Crowder started all 21 playoff games for the Heat, where he averaged 31.4 minutes per game. As Miami continued pushing deeper into the playoffs, Crowder continued proving he was a perfect fit alongside the group the Heat already had established.

Now, he enters free agency as the Heat remain intent on not committing salary to anyone else beyond the upcoming campaign. It’s reasonable to expect Crowder to desire a multi-year deal in the offseason, as his play justified it and he is currently 30 years old.

The Heat simply must work something out with him to retain his services, even if it means overpaying him slightly to take the one year deal.