NBA Rumors: Phil Jackson Regrets Not Bringing Jae Crowder To New York Knicks

Mistakes are going to be made when you run an NBA franchise. According to CBS Sports, Phil Jackson has revealed that he regrets not making a trade to bring Jae Crowder to the New York Knicks. The 26-year-old small forward has developed into one of the better players on the Boston Celtics roster.

Over the summer, the Boston Celtics lost Evan Turner to the Portland Trail Blazers thanks to a four-year contract worth approximately $70 million. The Celtics were comfortable with letting Turner leave because they have a superior option in Jae Crowder, who is under contract for approximately $35 million.

One of the first deals that Phil Jackson made as president of the New York Knicks was sending Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler to the Dallas Mavericks for Shane Larkin, Jose Calderon, Wayne Ellington, Samuel Dalembert and a second round draft pick. Apparently, Jackson had a choice between the second round pick and Jae Crowder.

Jackson rates passing up Jae Crowder as his biggest mistake w/ @nyknicks

MORE: https://t.co/Sz4ZwM8QqN pic.twitter.com/17cr6A1dwj

— NBA.com (@NBAcom) August 27, 2016

Phil Jackson opted for the second round draft pick from the Dallas Mavericks. The New York Knicks ended up selecting Cleanthony Early, who is no longer with the team. Jackson stated that he preferred the draft pick because he was afraid that Jae Crowder would not receive playing time behind Carmelo Anthony.

Under Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, Jae Crowder has developed into an extremely reliable defender who can shoot from beyond the three point line. His breakout season coincided with the Celtics making the NBA Playoffs. Crowder has secured the starting small forward position on a rising squad.

Jae Crowder can play shooting guard and small forward. The New York Knicks currently have Courtney Lee at the shooting guard position and Carmelo Anthony at the small forward position. Anthony can easily move to power forward in a small ball lineup, so Crowder could have still earned plenty of playing time.

With Phil Jackson, his words always need to be taken with a grain of salt. His revelation and remorse about Jae Crowder was revealed as the media was asking him if hiring Derek Fisher was one of the biggest mistakes that he has made as an executive in the NBA.

The New York Knicks fired Derek Fisher before he completed his second season, as reported by ESPN. It was a tough move for Phil Jackson because Fisher was his hand picked choice as head coach. Fisher spent years playing under Jackson, so the two of them seemed a good fit.

After making some splashy moves over the summer, Phil Jackson will be asked the same question again next summer and beyond. The former Chicago Bulls head coach went all in so that the New York Knicks can attempt to get back into the NBA Playoffs this upcoming season.

Earlier in the summer, Phil Jackson pulled the trigger on a trade with the Chicago Bulls to acquire Derrick Rose. The former NBA MVP has all the talent in the world, but health has been an issue for the past couple of seasons. Rose has also added to the hype by stating that the New York Knicks are a super team.

Phil Jackson also spent approximately $72 million to acquire Joakim Noah in free agency. He is another former Chicago Bulls star who has been dealing with injuries over the past couple of years. Many view it as a high risk, high reward type of move, so people might be second guessing it a year from now.

Jae Crowder is a fantastic player in the NBA, but Phil Jackson could have just stirred up things with the media for the sake of avoiding questions about Derek Fisher.

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