Jae Crowder passed physical, is looking forward to joining Cavaliers

The deal that was agreed upon to send Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Brooklyn’s 2018 first round pick and Ante Zizic to Cleveland for Kyrie Irving is in a holding pattern as the Cavaliers decide what to do in the wake of Thomas’ physical, but Crowder appears ready to move on and join his new team, per Joe Vardon.

Crowder completed and passed his physical for the Cavs last week, a source said, and is looking forward to joining the three-time defending Eastern Conference champs.

Vardon says that Crowder passed his physical in Cleveland, and was seen wearing Cavaliers gear at a workout at Georgia Tech.

It’s still a bit surreal to see Crowder rocking Cavaliers gear after having been on the opposing side of two playoff series in the past three years that included J.R. Smith knocking Crowder unconscious after Game 4 of the Cavs-Celtics first-round series got out of control three years ago.

Still, he remains a perfect complement for what this team needs as a switchy, athletic defender and spacer. Some have speculated that Crowder could be LeBron’s modern-day Shane Battier, and the comparisons make a fair amount of sense.

We’ll see if Crowder will hold onto that Cleveland gear in the long-term once this trade resolves itself.