It\u2019s not often that a role player has the power to force a trade \u2014 particularly when their team is firmly within title contention. Yet here we are, 14 games into the Phoenix Suns season without so much as an inkling that Jae Crowder could return to the rotation following his training camp trade request<\/a>. Nonetheless, numerous credible NBA Insiders are suggesting that we could see a resolution to the dispute sooner than expected.<\/p>\n Crowder, 32, is in the last year of a three-year contract that he signed with the Suns starting in the 2020-21 NBA season. They reached the NBA Finals that year and ultimately came up short against the Milwaukee Bucks. Crowder saw a downturn in his productivity in the following year, failing to reach a contract extension with Phoenix as they asked him to take a bench role so that sharpshooter Cam Johnson could enter the starting five. They\u2019ve been at an impasse ever since.<\/p>\n Reports came out following an Instagram story post by Jae Crowder, who simply put a ticking clock on a black background. Longtime NBA journalist Marc Stein suggested via his Twitter<\/a> and Substack<\/a> that he heard \u201ccredible rumbles\u201d about a Crowder trade coming to fruition. That was seconded by a report from NBA Insider Jake Fischer<\/a> of Yahoo Sports, stating the following:<\/p>\nNBA Insiders believe Jae Crowder will be traded by the Phoenix Suns shortly.<\/h2>\n