NETS NAB CRABBE FROM BLAZERS FOR NICHOLSON
The Brooklyn Nets acquired swingman Allen Crabbe from the Portland Trail Blazers for combo forward Andrew Nicholson.
What does it give the Brooklyn Nets
This is yet another case of the low-budget Nets using their salary cap space to take on another team's big-money player. Crabbe will make over $19 million this season and has two years left on his deal after that, and Brooklyn is one of the few teams with significant salary cap space to work with. Crabbe can be a regular for the young and rebuilding team, and the Nets clearly like his outside shooting and potential. It would have been nice to see the Nets get a draft pick as well, however, in return for taking on so much salary.
What does it give the Portland Trail Blazers
It'll be surprising if Nicholson is kept by the Blazers, whose primary motivation here clearly was to drop salary. Even if Nicholson stays with Portland, he's slated to make roughly $13 million less per year than Crabbe over the next three seasons. The extra financial flexibility helps the Blazers potentially re-sign some of their other young cornerstone players (including Jusuf Nurkic and perhaps Noah Vonleh).
Fantasy impact
Crabbe showed solid improvement for the Blazers last season, and he should continue to be a good producer now that he's with the Nets. While he's far from an ideal fantasy option (since he doesn't produce much by way of assists, rebounds, blocks, or steals), Crabbe's shooting averages were excellent in '16-17: .468 from the field, .444 on 3-pointers, and .847 on free throws. Meanwhile Nicholson won't change many fantasy fortunes on the Blazers (since he won't likely play much even if he's kept around), but the departure of Crabbe likely boosts the role and fantasy value of Evan Turner.
