1) Realistic first day Chicago Bulls free agent signings: Jae Crowder
It feels like there’s going to be a plethora of suitors lining up to sign the veteran Miami Heat 6-foot-6 and 235 pound 30-year-old small forward Jae Crowder. After a stellar run with the Heat, as the surprise out of the East making a huge run to the NBA Finals as the five-seed, Crowder and Co. couldn’t quite get past the Los Angeles Lakers to get the title.
Nonetheless, Crowder still surprisingly had one of the most efficient runs of his career down the stretch and in the playoffs with the Heat in the season that was. Crowder played in 65 games during the shortened 2019-20 regular season between his time with the Heat and Memphis Grizzlies (starting in 53 of them). And of the 65 games he played in last season, his best 20 came with the Heat.
Crowder averaged 10.5 points per game, 5.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks. And he shot 40.1 percent from the field, 34.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 77.6 percent from the free-throw line. Where he really stood out was with the Heat in those latter 20 regular season games, and in their magical playoff run to the Finals.
In the regular season with the Heat, Crowder averaged around 12 points per game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point land. And in the playoffs, he averaged 12.0 points per game while shooting around 41 percent from the field and 35 percent from beyond the arc.