Portland trades Crabbe to Nets; could it impact the 2018 Brooklyn pick?

The Portland Trailblazers have traded guard Allen Crabbe to the Brooklyn Nets, potentially impacting the value of the 2018 Nets first round pick the Boston Celtics control.


The move, which sends Andrew Nicholson to the Blazers, was primarily about lowering their tax bill after spending too liberally in the summer of 2016. Having signed several players to what are commonly considered exorbitant deals when the cap spike resulting from the influx of TV rebroadcasting rights revenue was washing over the league, Portland finds itself among the worst-affected teams by the cap shrinkage that followed after last season. The team reportedly intends to waive and stretch the remainder of Nichols' contract to that end, creating a $12.9 million-dollar trade exception in so doing.

For Boston fans, this is a very real boon to the Nets potential win total, as Crabbe, while not a star by any means, instantly becomes their best shooter with a 44% rate from deep last season. While losing big man Brook Lopez was a big hit for them, it also brought on young talent D'Angelo Russell, as creative use of cap space did Crabbe and DeMarre Carroll before him. The team still needs an athletic big or two to have any shot at proving Jeremy Lin's playoff prediction right, but for Boston fans with big hopes for their last remaining pick from the haul created by the Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett trade, even a few more potential wins is unwelcome news.


That said, it appears that at least for the moment, only a handful of teams seem to be planning in competitively non-competing - the Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns seem the only locks to date, and perhaps the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Orlando Magic, or Indiana Pacers may join them. So at least until a reality check changes some teams' plans, there's not a reason to panic - yet.

For more stories about the offseason on CelticsLife, click here. For more by Justin, click here.



Image: NBA.com
Video: CSNNE
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