The ghost of Jae Crowder's Bucks tenure continues to haunt Jon Horst and company, and that remains true three years later. This offseason, that disastrous trade remains Milwaukee's most damaging roster miscalculation.
Let's nip it in the bud: the wisdom behind the trade was not at all misguided in any way. The truth is that prime Crowder (or at least the version Milwaukee thought they were acquiring) would have been the perfect solution to their perpetual small forward crisis dating back to the days of PJ Tucker.
The Bucks could have used a few second-rounders this offseason
We've been saying it ad nauseam: imagine Giannis Antetokounmpo next to a veteran 3-and-D wing who could guard multiple positions, knock down corner threes, and bring playoff intensity. That's what the Milwaukee Bucks thought they were finally getting in Jae Crowder.
Instead, they got an injury-prone player whose best years were clearly behind him. And so it goes that Crowder contributed almost nothing before being let go. And with him went all but two of the Bucks' war chest of second-rounders.
Where they could have finally addressed their depth issues with cheap developmental pieces from those second-round picks, the Bucks are now stuck cobbling together minutes from a patchwork rotation of Kyle Kuzma, Taurean Prince, Amir Coffey, and Andre Jackson Jr. as their only actual wing-sized forwards.
None of them provide the two-way impact Milwaukee desperately needs at the position.
And where they could have packaged any of those players with a few seconds to try to get an upgrade in the season, they're instead stuck and betting on them to improve throughout the season.
The effects still compound by the day. Kuzma's defensive limitations, as we saw last season, got routinely exposed when he's forced to guard quicker wings. Prince brings admittedly impressive shooting prowess, but lacks the size and athleticism to match up with elite guards and forwards alike. Coffey is likely the most polished offensive player in that position but has shown he lacks the defensive instinct to play extended minutes.
All the while, teams around the league continue to mine productive wing help in free agency and the second round for similar prices. The Bucks' desperation to compete in Giannis Antetokounmpo's prime blinded them to Crowder's obvious decline and lack of motivation. They traded for a reputation, not the actual player.
This positional weakness remains Milwaukee's Achilles heel entering another championship chase. While contenders boast deep, versatile wing rotations, the Bucks are still shuffling through the same flawed options, hoping someone emerges as a reliable two-way contributor.
Meanwhile, Jae Crowder remains a free agent after bungling his last chance to prove he can still play at this level.
So the reality remains the same to this day: the Crowder trade actively made Milwaukee worse by wasting assets they needed to properly address their most glaring roster hole.