Even in the immediate aftermath of a disappointing playoff finish in which he played about 40 minutes against the Miami Heat – including just 18 seconds in Game 5 – Jae Crowder maintained he’d love to be back in Milwaukee.
“I would, because in the locker room it’s a great group of guys who put work first and we have fun after that,” he told the Journal Sentinel after the Bucks were eliminated. “I can work in that type of environment and I really appreciate my teammates for welcoming me. From day one it’s just been love from that side. But that’s a conversation that has to be had.”
That conversation culminated with a return on a one-year agreement, the Journal Sentinel confirmed.
Free agent deals cannot be made official until 11:01 am CT on July 6. The agreement was originally reported by Turner Sports.
Crowder was acquired on Feb. 9 in a four-team deal that saw the Bucks send out 5 second-round picks to Indiana (three) and Brooklyn (two). To that point, Crowder had not played as he expected a trade out of Phoenix.
He first suited up on Feb. 24 and played 18 regular-season games, averaging about 19 minutes per contest. He shot 43.6% from behind the three-point line and 47.9% from the field in those games, averaging 6.9 points.
Crowder is entering his 12thth season and turns 33 on July 6.
The 6-foot, 6-inch, 235-pound forward has played for nine teams since being selected at No. 34 out of Marquette University in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft.
This article originally appeared on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks set to re-sign Jae Crowder to a one-year deal