Blazers trade Crabbe to Nets for Nicholson
The Portland Trail Blazers have traded shooting guard Allen Crabbe to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for power forward Andrew Nicholson.
Portland also obtained a $12.9-million trade exception that will expire next offseason as part of the deal, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks.
The Blazers' decision to unload Crabbe's contract could be part of a bigger plan, as the franchise has been linked to All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony this summer.
Brooklyn attempted to land Crabbe last offseason, signing the 25-year-old to a four-year, $75-million offer sheet before Portland ultimately matched.
Nicholson split time between the Nets and Washington Wizards this past season, averaging 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds over 38 combined games. Crabbe is coming off his best season as a pro, averaging career highs in points (10.7), rebounds (2.9), and blocks (0.3) across 79 contests in 2016-17.
Portland's luxury tax bill will drop from roughly $48.3 million to just $4.4 million as a result of the deal, according to Marks.
The Blazers will waive and stretch Nicholson's contract, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, giving the Blazers a cap hit of $2.8 million over each of the next seven seasons.