As Jae Crowder remains on the trade block, the Washington Wizards have reportedly emerged as a potential suitor for the Phoenix Suns' estranged forward.

"There's been some chatter about them looking at a guy like Jae Crowder," ESPN's Brian Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective podcast Wednesday (h/t RealGM). "I'm pretty confident there's been some discussions between the Wizards and the Suns. We've been talking about Jae Crowder now for about two months. It's obvious it's a hard trade to pull off. The Wizards have a bunch of guys who make decent salaries on their roster they can use in a trade."

Windhorst added that the Suns are seeking a power forward in any Crowder deal, and the Wizards are fairly loaded at the position with Kyle Kuzma, Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija on the roster.

It seems unlikely Kuzma will be moved, as he's thriving this season, averaging 20.4 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, though he's shooting just 31.3 percent from three. He and Avdija (7.6 PPG, 5.1 APG) have largely served as the team's starting pair at forward, with Hachimura (11.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG) coming off the bench.

Crowder, 32, would give the Suns an injection of experience and scrappy defense. The veteran forward averaged 9.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game last year in Phoenix, shooting 34.8 percent from three, but had a falling out with the team over the offseason.

Per Windhorst, "Crowder was informed over the summer that he may lose his starting job this season, sources said, and it prompted him to request a trade."

Crowder, for his part, denied those reports:

The irony is that the player he lost his job to, Cam Johnson, is now likely out until some point in 2023 after requiring surgery on his right meniscus.

But Windhorst reported earlier in November that "despite Johnson's injury, there is no change to the situation with Crowder, and there are no current plans for him to return to the team, sources said."

It appeared as though the Suns were getting closer to a trade in mid-November, with multiple reports suggesting talks had progressed.

Nothing has happened as of yet, however, though the Wizards reportedly are taking a closer look.