If you were curious where Steven Crowl ended up after playing in the NBA Summer League for the Detroit Pistons, you aren't alone. I was also curious and decided to look up the former Badger and saw that just a couple of weeks ago, he was traded in the NBA G League. This means he's still chasing the NBA dream and has yet to look overseas for a pro career like many others in his position.
It takes some explaining to tell you why he was traded from the Salt Lake City Stars to the Grand Rapids Gold. It may sound fairly straight up, but it isn't. If you remember, Crowl spent all of last season with the Salt Lake City Stars and was never called up to the NBA or the Utah Jazz.
After the season, he signed an NBA Summer League contract with the Detroit Pistons. So how did he end up back on the Stars? Well, he never really left. The way the NBA G League works is that a G League team has rights to a player for two years after they play on their team. If the team didn't release the player, they still keep the rights for up to two seasons.
Thank you, Steve 💜
— Salt Lake City Stars (@slcstars) September 21, 2026
The Salt Lake City Stars have traded the returning player rights to Steven Crowl to the Grand Rapids Gold.#ItStartsHere pic.twitter.com/p4DXi1DMLh
Steven Crowl's rights have been traded to the Grand Rapids Gold NBA G League team
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Crowl signing an NBA Summer League deal doesn't change this fact, unless the Detroit Pistons decide to sign him to an NBA Contract. If the Pistons wanted Crowl on their G League affiliate, they would have to trade for his rights, just like the Grand Rapids Gold did.
It's a bit confusing and really doesn't matter that much if you are a Wisconsin fan. The part that matters is that Crowl is going to get another NBA G League shot this season, but for a new team. The Grand Rapids Gold are going to see how he works out for them in the G League this season.
Last season for the Salt Lake City Stars, Crowl was a relatively deep player off the bench. He only played in six games but averaged 10.4 minutes during those games. He finished with 1.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game.
He seemed like a perfect candidate to explore an overseas contract, as it appears that Crowl is far from making an NBA team. It takes not only getting on a G League team, but being a star on the G League team, and then having the NBA team need your services. Crowl doesn't seem close to any of that. And his NBA Summer League performance didn't wow anyone. He barely saw the floor.
Crowl could still chase down an opportunity overseas. Simply because the Grand Rapids Gold have his rights doesn't mean he has to return. He may still find a contract somewhere else, but the clock is ticking as the NBA preseason has already begun.
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