Bucks reportedly acquire Jae Crowder in three-team deal

Milwaukee’s extended pursuit of Jae Crowder has finally paid off.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Bucks have acquired the former Marquette standout in a three-way trade with Brooklyn and Indiana. Milwaukee will send multiple second-round picks back to the Nets and send forward Jordan Nwora, center Serge Ibaka and guard George Hill to the Pacers in the deal.

GM Jon Horst had reportedly been in negotiations with Phoenix to get Crowder for the last couple months, as the forward refused to play for the Suns after not getting a contract extension. Crowder was part of the trade that sent Kevin Durant from Brooklyn to Phoenix late Wednesday night and is now on the move again.

Milwaukee will be Crowder’s eighth team since entering the league in 2012 as a second-round pick. Considered a strong defender, the 32-year-old has a bevy of playoff experience, especially in recent years when he went to the NBA Finals with Miami in 2020 and was a part of the Suns team that lost to the Bucks in the 2021 Finals.

Last season the 6-foot-6 Crowder averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 34.8% from beyond the arc.

Nwora was Milwaukee’s second-round pick in 2020. He played in 38 games this year, averaging 6.0 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.

The NBA trade deadline is set for 2 p.m. CT on Thursday.