Regrading Jae Crowder's once-solid 2023 deal with the Milwaukee Bucks

Last summer, the Milwaukee Bucks signed Jae Crowder to a one-year, $3.2 million contract. Was it a good move? It seemed so at the time, but one year later, things surely look a bit more tricky.

Crowder sure had the potential to be a big role player, and he showed it at times. Just a few times, though. For the most part, he didn't bring what he was expected to and didn't look like he did in Miami and Phoenix, becoming one of the most disappointing players of the season, if not the most.

He averaged 6.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 34.9 percent from three, and as the season went on, he was slowly losing his time on the floor. He was even more disappointing in the playoffs, where he was benched for the entirety of Games 5 and 6, finishing the season on an extremely negative note that made his season feel even worse than it really was.

At the time, Behind the Buck Pass writer Dalton Sell gave the deal an A, and who could blame him for that? It felt like the Bucks had gotten a solid 3-and-D player who could make the team more versatile and have a strong role both off the bench or in the starting lineup if they decided to go small. It didn't go that well, but this wasn't a bold call.

So, even if things are different now, let's not be unfair when judging the grade.

The Bucks' Jae Crowder trade

First, let's start refreshing how Crowder got to be a Milwaukee Buck. The team traded for him in February 2023, sending George Hill, Serge Ibaka, Jordan Nwora and three second-round picks to Indiana and two second-round picks to Brooklyn.

This isn't as big of a package as it might seem since none of the players were key ones, and the picks weren't all that great, but it's still a sizeable asset haul. The Bucks basically emptied their second-round draft cabinet, making it harder for them to make moves in the 2023-24 season, so they did bet on Crowder to be an impactful member of the roster.

Why is all this important, though? Well, it's necessary as context because, after giving up this much, this deal needed to happen in free agency. A team can't just give this kind of trade package for a rental. If you trade three players and five second-round picks in exchange for a player, you have to re-sign him. No matter how it went later, this move had to be done.

That said, let's regrade the deal.