Blazers: Five Teams That Could Poach Crabbe
New Orleans Pelicans
Maximum Cap Space: $22.4
Current Shooting Guards: Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans
The Pelicans ran into massive injury problems in 2015-16, which led to them missing the postseason. Investing in a low-milage player like Crabbe could be a step in the right direction. Surrounding Anthony Davis with shooters also wouldn’t hurt.
Gordon is set to hit free agency this summer, which will leave Evans as the only real competitor for the starting shooting guard spot. While Evans has a solid set of skills, shooting is not one of them. Evans improved his outside shooting this year, but it wasn’t enough to move his career 3P% above 30%. Adding a quality shooter would help relieve the pressure that Davis faces on a nightly basis in New Orleans.
The Pelicans are the most cash strapped team on the list, so adding a player like Crabbe would likely eat into nearly all of their available funds. This would also mean that whey would have to part ways with Ryan Anderson. New Orleans currently has the sixth pick in the draft, which is in the draft range for Henry Ellenson. Ellenson could serve as Anderson’s replacement, while Crabbe would replace Gordon. This would help the Pelicans get younger and keep their outside shooting intact.
Next: Number Two