Nothin' But Nets
Fansided

Brooklyn Nets: 3 potential trades for Jimmy Butler

By Phil Watson

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 27: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on January 27, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JANUARY 27: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves looks on during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on January 27, 2018 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
Brooklyn Nets
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 03: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Minnesota Timberwolves collides with Allen Crabbe #33 of the Brooklyn Nets during their game at Barclays Center on January 3, 2018 in New York City. User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

This scenario is both the simplest and easiest. Thus, it is also the least likely to happen.

Financially, Allen Crabbe‘s $18.5 million salary for this season matches up the most closely with the $20.4 million Butler is due in 2018-19.

Crabbe also has a player option for 2019-20 also worth $18.5 million.

According to the ESPN Trade Machine, the Nets would improve by 10 wins in this scenario, while Minnesota would become 11 games worse.

Live Feed

NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of California of last decade
NCAA Basketball: 10 best players from state of California of last decade /

Busting Brackets

  • Chicago Bulls: 4 sharpshooters to sign out of free agency Pippen Ain't Easy
  • The Portland Trail Blazers are experts in the second round of the NBA Draft Rip City Project
  • Portland Trail Blazers: 3 former Blazers to bring back in 2020 Free Agency Rip City Project
  • NY Knicks CAA Files: Unrestricted Free Agents Leon Rose might target Daily Knicks
  • Miami Heat: 4 guys on the market that they should take a look at All U Can Heat

    • The Nets have been high on Crabbe for some time. Brooklyn signed him to the terms of his current contract, four years and $75 million with a player option for the fourth year, when Crabbe agreed to the Nets offer sheet as a restricted free agent in July 2016.

    The Portland Trail Blazers matched the offer, but traded Crabbe to the Nets in July 2017 in exchange for forward Andrew Nicholson as Portland was trying to shed some salary.

    Crabbe had an uneven first season as a starter for Brooklyn. After averaging 10.7 points in 28.5 minutes per game as a reserve with the Trail Blazers in 2016-17, shooting .468/.444/.847, Crabbe struggled with his shooting stroke last season.

    He started 68 of the 75 games he played and averaged 13.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in 29.3 minutes a night, but his shooting fell off to .407/.378/.852.

    Crabbe did improve markedly after the All-Star break, shooting .435/.414/.878 over those 20 games after putting up a .397/.363/.840 slash line in his first 55 appearances.

    The first-round pick acquired from the Denver Nuggets in the trade that sent Isaiah Whitehead to Denver and brought Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur (however briefly) to Brooklyn is top-12 protected through 2024, at which point it would become second-round picks in 2024 and 2025.

    But Denver is not likely to be a lottery team this season, so it’s a relatively safe bet that this would be a first-round pick somewhere in the middle to lower-middle.

    It allows Brooklyn to sweeten the deal a bit without threatening their own first-round draft pick, which they haven’t owned since 2013 and still stands to be better than Denver’s selection, even with the addition of Butler.

    Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this scenario is how switchy Brooklyn’s perimeter defense becomes with Butler, DeMarre Carroll and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.