Apr 26, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder (99) prepares for game five of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson admits that he could’ve traded for Jae Crowder. He regrets not pulling the trigger on that deal.

Everyone makes mistakes. Whether you’re a player, coach, general manager, owner, fan, writer, or television analyst, everyone has made poor decisions in both their life and their career.

For Phil Jackson, the biggest mistake he believes he’s made revolves around the trade that sent Tyson Chandler to the Dallas Mavericks.

Jackson didn’t express remorse for trading a fan favorite like Chandler. Instead, he voiced an understanding of how he missed out on the opportunity to acquire what could’ve been an invaluable piece to the puzzle.

According to Charley Rosen of Today’s Fastbreak, Jackson almost traded for Jae Crowder, but instead took a second-round draft pick.

“One of the first deals I engineered when I came back to New York was to trade Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to Dallas for Shane Larkin, Jose Calderon, Wayne Ellington, Samuel Dalembert, plus a second-round pick that the Mavs owed to the Celtics. In talking with Boston, I was given the option of taking that pick or else taking Jae Crowder. I liked Crowder but I thought he wouldn’t get much of a chance to play behind Carmelo, so I took the pick which turned out to be Cleanthony Early. While Cleanthony has missed lots of time in the past two seasons with us, he still has the potential to be a valuable player. Even so, I should have taken Crowder.”

That’s a tough one to process.

Crowder is by no means a star, but he’s become the type of player that all 30 teams would love to have. He does a bit of everything on both ends of the floor and defends at a very high level.

Now a member of the Boston Celtics, Crowder is earning a reputation as one of the better small forwards in the NBA.

In 2015-16, Crowder averaged 14.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.7 3-point field goals made per game. He did so on an efficient slash line of .443/.336/.820.

In fairness to Jackson, Crowder had career averages of 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds in 16.7 minutes at the time of the Chandler trade.

Having established that, Crowder was the 2012 Big East Player of the Year as a hybrid forward for the Marquette Golden Eagles. He played from the post, faced up from 24 feet, facilitated the offense, and dominated the boards when need be.

In other words, he played the type of style that would’ve fit perfectly within the Triangle Offense.

Though he wouldn’t have single-handedly elevated the Knicks to postseason status, he certainly would’ve been a helpful addition.

Crowder signed a five-year deal worth $35 million with the Celtics in 2015. It was viewed as a bargain deal at the time, and is even more appealing under the new salary cap.

Jackson has certainly improved the way he handles the offseason—see: 2016—but missing out on Crowder has to sting.