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The Los Angeles Lakers just signed Luol Deng to a massive contract and drafted Brandon Ingram second overall in the 2016 NBA Draft, but it hasn’t stopped plenty of Lakers fans from pining for Allen Crabbe.
With wing players flying off the shelves through the first few days of free agency, Crabbe is increasingly becoming one of the more desirable names available. The Berkeley product averaged 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 26 minutes per game off the bench for the Portland Trail Blazers during his third season in the league, and shot 39.3 percent from deep on 3.5 attempts per game, and as a 24 years old presumably has some upside left to mine.
Crabbe is a restricted free agent, meaning his incumbent team can match any offer for him within three days of him signing it, but with the Blazers signing Evan Turner to a four-year deal worth $70 million, there is some thought they may not have the stomach to match a big contract for Crabbe.
With many Lakers fans still hoping their team has one big free agency splash left, those advocating for the team to sign Crabbe had their hearts set aflutter when he tweeted this (since deleted) tweet on Saturday night:
@hmfaigen pic.twitter.com/GbPfhVGFGN
— rob (@R0BaTO) July 3, 2016
Before anyone gets too carried away, Crabbe is a Los Angeles native, which could easily explain this tweet (even if that's a way less fun explanation). But then things got a little weirder, when conflicting reports emerged about whether or not Crabbe would sign an offer sheet with the Brooklyn Nets:
Source: Brooklyn, Allen Crabbe agree 4-year, $70 million deal. Portland will not match.
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) July 3, 2016
The reported Allen Crabbe offer sheet agreement with Brooklyn is being refuted. He has meetings coming on the 5th, I'm told.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 3, 2016
That doesn't mean Allen Crabbe might not ultimately head to Brooklyn on that kind of number, but he's clearly still listening.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 3, 2016
Who are those meetings with? It’s impossible to know right now, at least until someone reports it. It does, however, appear like Crabbe is still gettable, although it's clear the Lakers will have to move quickly if they hope to do so.
You can follow this author on Twitter at @hmfaigen.