Golden State Warriors: 5 free agency targets for 2020-21

5. Jae Crowder

Jae Crowder has bounced around the league since the Dallas Mavericks drafted him in 2013.

Though he hasn’t and never will be a top player in the league, his skills match up pretty well with the Warriors’ needs. Severely lacking a physical, defensive presence and another skilled playmaker, Jae Crowder could bring exactly that to the Warriors for just $7 million.

At 6’6”, Crowder doesn’t have overpowering length. At 234 pounds, he sure can get physical. With the Boston Celtics, Crowder oftentimes had the task of guarding the opposing team’s best player. Many times, that meant LeBron James, Paul George, Jimmy Butler, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Throughout his eight-year career, Crowder has averaged exactly 1.0 steals per game as well. Though not an astounding amount, he’s shown flashes of excellence. In 2015-16, for instance, Crowder stole the ball 126 times in just 73 appearances, good for 15th best in the league.

Despite his average height and quickness, Crowder has shown his ability to guard talented ball-handlers in the past. Though his defensive resume isn’t eye-popping, it’s good enough. That’s all the Warriors need. Adding to the pair of Klay Thompson’s lockdown defense and Steph Curry’s steals, Crowder’s physicality could very well aid a struggling defense.

He can defend a spot-up shot but also drain a spot-up shot from time to time as well. And with Jordan Poole and Damion Lee as the team’s third and fourth-best scorers, the Warriors could use some help in that department. Sure, they have two of the best shooters of all-time, but even the greatest players have bad outings, and all the scoring/playmaking duties cannot be concentrated on just two players.

Crowder has succeeded most as an organization’s third or fourth option. Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, and Al Horford were all better go-to options for the Celtics in his two full seasons with Boston. Crowder, however, still averaged 14.0 points per game in those two years, starting every game he played in, contributing to 48 and 53-win seasons.

Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, and Ricky Rubio were all ahead of Crowder in his two seasons with the Utah Jazz, but he still scored 11.9 points per game and was the 6th man for 48 and 50-win teams.

With the Warriors, Crowder would at least be behind Klay, Steph, and Draymond in the playmaking depth chart. Crowder, however, has shown time and time again that he’s best as a team’s third or fourth option.

All in all, Crowder brings a very solid defensive presence as well as streaky offensive capabilities to the table. If the Warriors signed him, he could be the third or fourth playmaking option and still guard the opposing team’s best player. For $7 million/year, that’s a pretty decent bargain.