Allen Crabbe was just as shocked as you were that the Brooklyn Nets threw a four-year, $75 million offer sheet his way, one that the Portland Trail Blazers matched, also surprisingly.
Here’s what he told Nets Daily’s Anthony Puccio while his Blazers were in Brooklyn to play the Nets:
“At first when they made the offer, I thought somebody was joking with me. You know man, it was my first free agency and I knew the new TV deal kicked in so the salary cap went up significantly, but I still didn’t know exactly what my range was. When they told me that (pauses with impressed face) I had so many feelings. I was excited, happy. It was a crazy feeling just knowing that a team wanted me like that. It felt really good.”
Though initial sticker shock was totally acceptable, Crabbe’s contract was right in line with the rest of last summer’s deals. The influx of TV money incited a salary-cap eruption, and that led to some truly absurd-looking deals that weren’t that absurd at all.
Think about it this way: Crabbe’s salary under a $94.1 million cap this season, is akin to making around $13.8 million under last year’s $70 million salary cap. So it’s not that ridiculous.
Plus, Crabbe, at 24, has the upside to make good on his latest earnings. He is, in many ways, the perfect roster complement for today’s NBA. He scores threes off the catch, doesn’t let the ball stick, can shoot off the dribble if he needs to, doesn’t turn over the ball a ton and defends both 2s and 3s.
The Nets were smart to offer him that contract, especially given their lack of draft picks and free-agency clout.
The Blazers, though, were equally smart to match it. If he doesn’t end up being a long-term fit in Portland, he’s at the very least a strong trade chip.
