NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 offseason targets for the Portland Trail Blazers
By Connor Learn
4. Allen Crabbe to the Brooklyn Nets for Spencer Dinwiddie, future pick
Allen Crabbe was targeted aggressively by the Nets last summer. Brooklyn bid well over market value for the restricted free agent in the hopes that Portland would be unwilling to match. The Trail Blazers ended up matching as free agency went on, re-upping Crabbe to the tune of four years and nearly $75 million. It was a hefty price to pay the former second round pick.
Crabbe didn’t live up to his $18.5 million dollar price tag this past season. He improved slightly on the season prior amidst a crowded wing rotation, averaging 10.7 points on 44.4 percent 3-point shooting. The good news for Crabbe is that few expected him to live up to his deal. He will still be coveted in the trade market because his shooting and perimeter defensive tools are very in vogue at this point in time. The former California product could be dealt as a form of cap relief this summer.
The Nets would certainly like to re-visit their almost signing. Unless a bidding war emerges, the price for Crabbe could be cheap. A return of Spencer Dinwiddie and a future pick may leave Trail Blazers fans disappointed, but it is better than losing Crabbe for free would have been. Dinwiddie proved himself to be a versatile, reliable player with the Nets last season. He is under a cheap, non-guaranteed contract the next two seasons and would help replace Crabbe for a fraction the cost.