After a big offseason that’s included signing Evan Turner and Festus Ezeli and re-signing center Meyers Leonard, the Blazers made another big move, matching the Nets’ four-year, $75 million offer sheet to fourth-year wing Allen Crabbe. From The Vertical‘s Adrian Wojnarowski:
The Portland Trail Blazers have matched Allen Crabbe's four-year, $75M offer sheet with Brooklyn, league source tells @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 10, 2016
Nets bid on Crabbe has been thwarted -- and Crabbe returns to Blazers on four-year, $75M contract. Now, Nets wait on Tyler Johnson sheet.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 10, 2016
The message out of Portland ownership and management is clear: Blazers trying to win this year and beyond -- loading up on this roster.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 10, 2016
Matching the Crabbe deal makes sense in a vacuum — you never want to let an asset walk for nothing, and Crabbe is only 24 and has emerged as one of Portland’s best shooters. But the signing of Turner complicates things and creates something of a logjam on the wing. It will be a challenge to fit in minutes for those two alongside Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.
This also means that the Blazers likely won’t match an offer sheet for Moe Harkless, so that’s someone a team could go get if they need a combo forward with some upside.