29
Jul
NBL Free Agency
'Crowd Pleaser': Harvey's passport puts Jae in play
Jae Crowder #99 of the Sacramento Kings warms up before an NBA game against the Memphis Grizzlies at Golden 1 Center on March 18, 2025 (AEST) in Sacramento, California. Photo: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images
Podcasts
Illawarra has spoken to the 36-year-old once, and his agent has been shopping the NBL since June.
- Illawarra has had one conversation with Jae Crowder, according to ESPN's Olgun Uluc
- Tyler Harvey's local status frees an import spot the Hawks can spend on a stretch four
- Crowder averaged 13.9 points in 27 games for Vaqueros de Bayamon in Puerto Rico
Dual NBA finalist Jae Crowder has had a single conversation with the Illawarra Hawks about an import spot for NBL27, six weeks after Adelaide passed on him.
"Another name that I know that they've had a conversation with, and I'm under the impression it's just a single conversation, but they've engaged, is Jae Crowder," ESPN's Olgun Uluc said on NBL Marketplace.
"He should be a household name to a lot of basketball fans in Australia.
"It's an idea of the type of player that they can now pursue, because Tyler Harvey is a local, where Jae Crowder for example is a four-three type, someone who could really stretch the floor.
"His name was brought up a couple of months ago when Adelaide was potentially looking at filling their third import spot, and that ultimately went to John Jenkins.
"I'm under the impression there wasn't actually really mutual interest there, but it sounded like Jae Crowder's side was trying to find an NBL home for him."
Tyler Harvey moving to local status has unlocked significant options for the NBL25 champions.
Harvey no longer occupies an import spot, and a club that has already locked in championship teammate Darius Days can spend the rest on size.
"Tyler Harvey is Australian, you can go get a four-three like Jae Crowder, someone who can really stretch the floor and plays really well next to Sam Froling, and then go get a four-five import off the bench," Uluc added.
"All of a sudden your front court is Froling, Crowder, (Mason) Peatling, who remember started for their championship team, and another solid import.
"All of a sudden they're imposing up front, they're imposing in the guard positions.
"This is the high-end talent, deep, fascinating team that they're all over."
Crowder played 927 regular-season and playoff games across 13 NBA seasons and built his reputation as a 3-and-D wing, reaching the Finals twice before his career ended at the Sacramento Kings in 2024-25.
He earned close to USD $72 million along the way, and collected more than 60 technical fouls doing it.
Then he went to Puerto Rico.
Crowder signed with Vaqueros de Bayamon for the 2026 BSN season and averaged 13.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals in 27 games.
He also, per Code Sports, played alongside former South East Melbourne import Gary Browne and Sydney Kings championship pair Xavier Cooks and Jaylin Galloway, which is how the NBL got into his ear in the first place.
It was Code Sports that first linked him to Adelaide in June, when Trevor Gleeson was weighing the 36ers' final import spot. Gleeson re-signed John Jenkins III instead.
Former NBL and college forward Pete Hooley said the Adelaide fit never made sense to him, and that he had the Hawks in mind from the start.
"When the Jae Crowder thing popped up way back for Adelaide, and again from my understanding it was his people as well who were reaching out, the Adelaide thing never made sense to me," Hooley said.
"The fit was just never going to work with the team they've already got, Zylan (Cheatham) and Isaac Humphries and (Nick) Rakocevic.
"But the first thing I said was, he'd be perfect for the Hawks. He'd be absolutely perfect for the Hawks.
"Then it kind of all went away, but for the exact kind of piece they want, the way that Justin Tatum plays, the way that I feel like he'd play for Justin Tatum, when you're throwing the edge that Hickey plays with and all of this with Peatling, that would be a whole lot of fun.
"There'd be a team that I feel like you wouldn't want to get into a scrap with."
Hooley also name-checked Milton Doyle in an Illawarra shirt.
"That's another thing that I think this team is realising when they're looking internally at their roster, they need more shooting," Uluc said.
"Todd Blanchfield was shot out of his mind during that season they won the championship, and I think they see that.
"Someone like Crowder is a really good standstill shooter, high-level defender as well, but at the least, from one of those spots, they want an elite shooter."
