Brooklyn Nets: Complete 2017 offseason grades
Acquiring Crabbe
One year and 15 days after the Portland Trail Blazers matched Brooklyn’s four-year, $75 million offer sheet for Allen Crabbe, the Nets finally got their guy.
Even better, all it cost them was Andrew Nicholson. They now welcome Crabbe’s bloated salary into the mix — only with the first year already off the books.
In terms of the talent being exchanged, the Nets did very well to get Crabbe for the remaining three years and $19.9 million on Nicholson’s contract, especially after Brooklyn’s big man put up a measly 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 11.1 minutes per game while shooting 38.2 percent from the floor last year.
Crabbe’s salary is inflated to an alarming degree, but it’s less of a problem for the Nets, who lack the draft assets to rebuild or the established talent to attract free agents. In other words, there are only so many avenues for this team to get better at the present moment.
Perspective for BKN re: Allen Crabbe. Nets essentially paid 3 years/$37M for a 25 year-old 2 guard. Good investment on 10.2M per.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 25, 2017
Head coach Kenny Atkinson has quickly become renowned for his emphasis on player development, and with Crabbe only being 25 years old, he fits the mold of what the Nets are trying to build.
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Allen Crabbe is hardly a blue-chip prospect. His defense leaves a lot to be desired, and it’s worth noting Portland was outscored by 118 points in his 2,254 minutes on the court last year.
However, he also shot a blistering 44.4 percent from 3-point range on 3.8 attempts per game, and it’s a small victory that the Nets eventually got one of their targeted restricted free agent targets. Even better, it happened after the first year of that massive four-year offer sheet.
The Nets probably should’ve pushed harder for a first round pick to take on Crabbe’s contract, but seeing as how Brooklyn made him that offer sheet in the first place, Marks probably didn’t have as much leverage. All in all this is another solid move, even if the Nets will likely be one of the worst teams in the East again next season.
Grade: B