Brooklyn Nets Acquire Allen Crabbe From Portland Trail Blazers
The Brooklyn Nets have acquired another big salary via trade. They dealt Andrew Nicholson for Allen Crabbe, a fifth-year wing they signed to a restricted free agent offer sheet last year.
The Brooklyn Nets have not made any major free agent signings this offseason. Two rumored targets, J.J. Redick and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, signed with the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers respectively. Aside from the matched offer sheet of Otto Porter Jr., Brooklyn has not made any big free agency splashes with many names still on the board.
But, the Nets have used their horde of cap space differently. They took the burden of Timofey Mozgov’s contract from the Lakers in exchange for Brook Lopez. The incentive in that deal was 21-year-old guard D’Angelo Russell. On July 8, the Nets struck again, acquiring DeMarre Carroll from the Toronto Raptors for Justin Hamilton’s stretched contract. In exchange, they received a first and second round pick.
General Manager Sean Marks and the Nets have made a living this offseason off the regret of other NBA GMs. Portland was the next team up.
The Deal
Crabbe signed a $75 million restricted free agency deal last season with the Brooklyn Nets. The Trail Blazers matched the offer, choosing not to see a key bench player walk away for nothing. The Nets were unable to acquire Crabbe until one year after the offer sheet was matched (July 13). But, this trade signifies Portland’s financial tussle. Per Bobby Marks, they were slated to pay $43.8 million in luxury tax this season. Getting rid of Crabbe decreases their luxury tax significantly.
Part of that original Nets offer sheet included a 15 percent trade kicker, meaning that Crabbe would have made an extra $5.6 million if he were traded. He elected to waive the trade kicker, decreasing the financial burden for the Nets. Still, he is owed around $57 million over the next three seasons.
Andrew Nicholson, signed by the Washington Wizards last summer and traded to Brooklyn at the trade deadline, will be waived and stretched by Portland. He had three years and around $19 million left on his deal. The shedding of Crabbe may have more than just luxury tax implications. They have been heavily rumored as a team involved in a potential Carmelo Anthony mega deal. This may have been the first domino to fall.
Allen Crabbe 2016–2017 Stats
10.7 points (46.8 field goal percentage, 44.4 3-point percentage), 2.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists
Fit
Crabbe joins a Brooklyn Nets team that is trending toward a youth movement. He has only started 24 of 226 games in his career, but may be the Nets’ starting small forward heading into the regular season. The guard originally signed the Nets’ offer sheet in 2016 because of the opportunity to have a larger role. No longer behind Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, Crabbe will have just that in the Nets’ offense.
The Nets shot a lot of 3-point shots last season, but ranked 26th in the NBA in three-point percentage. Crabbe is an efficient shooter, shooting over 39 percent over the past two seasons. His 44.4 percent mark last season was ahead of known shooters like J.J. Redick, Bradley Beal, Nick Young and Ryan Anderson. In 2016–17, a little less than half (302) of Crabbe’s 647 field goal attempts came from deep. So, Crabbe will help space the floor for guards Jeremy Lin and D’Angelo Russell. Lin’s drives will benefit from a consistent shooter in Crabbe, and Russell can create open looks as well.
Crabbe’s shooting was his only standout skill. Aside from that, there still may be room for growth and improvement. He posted a defensive rating of 114 last season, not using his 6-foot-11 wingspan to his advantage. At times, Crabbe just had lapses defensively — and so did the rest of the Trail Blazers. His defensive rating was worst at the time. As a probable starter, he will have to lock in on defense to match his offensive production.
After the 2017 NBA Playoffs, Crabbe underwent foot surgery. He is expected to fully recover by the start of the 2017–18 season.
With an expanded role, Crabbe may show skills outside of just spot shooting. Crabbe was neither an off-the-dribble or cutting option the previous two seasons with Portland. In Nets coach Kenny Atkinson’s offense, attacking off the dribble is a valued skill. If Crabbe can successfully expand his game, he will be more than just a highly paid sixth man.
Grade: B
Allen Crabbe is a fine player. He’s probably an overpaid player as well, but for the cost of Andrew Nicholson — a player who was not in the Nets’ rotation — the acquisition of Crabbe is a solid move by Sean Marks. While there are concerns over his contract and his seemingly limited game, Crabbe was a player the Nets targeted and eventually acquired.
The Nets have little cap space left, but their moves may be far from done. The Carmelo Anthony and Kyrie Irving deals are still in speculation phases, and the Nets have expiring contracts and non-guaranteed deals to acquire. Sean Marks continues to be opportunistic in earning respect and improving the Brooklyn Nets.
