The Portland Trail Blazers surprisingly won the Allen Crabbe trade with the Brooklyn Nets.
The NBA has been in a state of constant chaos since the Golden State Warriors won the title, with every other team in the league looking to make a deal that they hope would eventually lead them to creating the next great super-team. If you’re like me, you’ve been hoping and praying (and in some cases, begging) for the Portland Trail Blazers to get in on the action.
And while the Blazers didn’t exactly get another star to group alongside Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic, they did end up making one of the best possible moves they could make for their long-term future by trading away Allen Crabbe to the Brooklyn Nets.
Every guy needs a great wingman, and Crabbe was just that. He wasn’t the best wingman the league had to offer — and he arguably wasn’t even the best wingman on the team — but he played within his means, and he’s continually gotten better since arriving in Portland in 2013.
That being said, Portland made the right decision trading away Crabbe, even if the player the Blazers ended up receiving — Andrew Nicholson — will quickly be waived and stretched, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
Portland has traded Allen Crabbe to Brooklyn for Andrew Nicholson, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 25, 2017
In other words, the Blazers traded away a serviceable player for basically nothing in return. However, this trade was the furthest thing from being a basic, run-of-the-mill trade.
Crabbe was set to make roughly $56 million over the next three years of his contract. The fact that this trade single-handedly gets rid of Crabbe’s contract makes this a win for the Blazers, who had the highest payroll in the league.
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In addition, this trade basically eliminates the luxury tax for the Blazers. According to ESPN‘s Bobby Marks, the Blazers’ tax hit will drop from $48.3 million to just $4.4 million, which is quite the difference.
As for the $19.9 million remaining on Nicholson’s contract, the Blazers have chosen to utilize the stretch provision, lessening the blow to just a $2.8 million cap hit per year. The fact that this helps Portland’s chances with re-signing Nurkic after next season is yet another reason why this trade was an absolute win for the Blazers.
The last reason why this is a win for Portland: they also get a $12.9 million trade exception, which they’ll have at their disposal until next summer. This opens up a number of different doors for the Trail Blazers, who will be looking to shore up some of the holes in their rotation come the start of the 2017-18 season.
Next: NBA Trade Grades - Blazers dump Allen Crabbe to Nets
Stats aside, this was a solid victory for the Portland Trail Blazers, who have set themselves up for a big move in the next few weeks. Be on the lookout, Rip City: Another deal is likely on the horizon.