Allen Crabbe is supposedly heading to the east coast after being signed by the Brooklyn Nets, according to international NBA writer David Pick.
Source: Brooklyn, Allen Crabbe agree 4-year, $70 million deal. Portland will not match.
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) July 3, 2016
But maybe everybody jumped the gun? Sam Amick of USA Today says that Crabbe is still mulling a decision and no verbal agreement has been reached.
The reported Allen Crabbe offer sheet agreement with Brooklyn is being refuted. He has meetings coming on the 5th, I'm told.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 3, 2016
That doesn't mean Allen Crabbe might not ultimately head to Brooklyn on that kind of number, but he's clearly still listening.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 3, 2016
Blazers free agent guard Allen Crabbe has free agent meeting set up on Tuesday, a source told @TheUndefeated.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) July 3, 2016
None of the agreement’s since free agency started on July 1 have been finalized. The moratorium ends July 7, so there’s plenty of time for Crabbe to change his mind even if he did give Brooklyn a yes. DeAndre Jordan famously did so last year.
The Nets have been very active so far in free agency, snagging Jeremy Lin and inking Tyler Johnson to a doozy of an offer sheet the Heat aren’t likely to match ($50 million for a backup guard isn’t even feasible in today’s cap climate).
Crabbe would give them a young piece who might not seem worth this money yet, but might prove to be a great value by the end of this deal. As a restricted free agent, Portland could still match, but if this goes through it’s a hefty offer, especially since they made a similarly-sized move for a weird piece in Evan Turner.
Portland is also rumored to be in the market for Pau Gasol, and letting Crabbe head east gives them a lot more freedom, financially. Obviously, that’s a big difference for a team that’s contending, but not quite championship caliber yet. Is replacing a 24-year-old wing with a lot of upside and a steeping learning curve with a 35 year old really the best strategy for long-term growth? Not usually, but with Turner signed and the way the team played last season, it’s not quite that crazy anymore.
As for Brooklyn, adding Crabbe would give them a young, athletic wing who’s got room to improve and also shows a willingness to be coached. He might not be worth this money right now, but if the Nets continue to add his improvement into to an above average NBA starter, he could be worth a lot more at the end of the deal when he’s in his prime at age 28. This might be the Nets trying to buy some brand loyalty in the hopes it’ll help them out more down the line.
