Brooklyn Nets Miss Out On Allen Crabbe, Tyler Johnson

The Brooklyn Nets were delivered a huge blow Sunday, as restricted free agents Allen Crabbe and Tyler Johnson both look to be heading back to their original teams.

The Brooklyn Nets looked like they were going to add some solid young pieces to their roster to help restock the cupboard. But, the Nets rebuilding effort took a big step backwards today, as it looks like the restricted free agents they targeted, Allen Crabbe and Tyler Johnson, will not be coming after all.

One of the dangers of going after restricted free agents is that their old team has a chance to match the offer sheet. That looks to have happened to the Nets not once, but twice this offseason as Crabbe and Johnson both look to be returning to their respective teams.

Teams have three days to match offer sheets, which would make today the last day for the Nets offers to be matched. The Portland Trail Blazers have matched the four-year, $75 million offer sheet for Crabbe according to Adrian Wojnaroski of The Vertical.

Wojnarowski was actually not first to report the news, as Crabbe let it know via his personal Twitter account where he will be playing next season with a simple tweet of Rip City.

It is an interesting decision from the Blazers, who signed Evan Turner to a similar four-year, $74 million deal early in free agency. Crabbe was blossoming with the Blazers in the postseason on their second unit, so it will be worth keeping an eye on how head coach Terry Stotts makes things fit.

Turner does not have the shooting range that Crabbe does, so the two could play together on the court with Turner running the offense and Crabbe being a complement on the wing. But it is fair to question if Turner will stunt the growth of Crabbe entering his fourth season in the NBA.

In addition to Crabbe, the Nets look like they will miss out on Johnson as well. Johnson agreed to a four-year, $50 million deal with the Nets on July 3rd, and the deal became official on July 7th.

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Early indications were that the Heat would let Johnson walk, as they were big game fishing in free agency. They had to fight off the Dallas Mavericks for Hassan Whiteside, and were preparing a presentation for Kevin Durant as well. In addition, the Heat had to retain franchise icon Dwyane Wade.

But, Wade became upset with the Heat, and decided to test the market. After being low-balled by the Heat, Wade moved on and signed a big deal with the Chicago Bulls.

As a result, the Heat had some money open up, making Johnson a possibility to be retained again. That looks like their course of action, as ESPN’s Marc Stein has sources that expect the Heat to match the Nets’ offer tonight.

This is an intriguing decision for the Heat, as Johnson received a poison pill contract from the Nets. That means that his contract will balloon the last two years of the deal and be worth over $19 million each season. Johnson would have been on the books for $12.5 million annually with the Heat, but the cap hits will be different with the Heat.

Johnson will have the opportunity for a lot of playing time with the Heat, as he could be their new starting shooting guard. Even if Erik Speolstra decides to keep him with the second unit, Johnson is in for a big role with the Heat.

Johnson, like Crabbe, would have been in for a big role with the Nets as well, but they have little power over this decision as restricted free agents. This is a huge blow for the Nets, as their backcourt looked to be upgraded in a major way but now come away with very little.

While it may have been a lot of money for two players, the Nets are desperate to add youth and talent to their roster. Without Crabbe and Johnson, the Nets’ offseason looks a lot worse with only Jeremy Lin, Trevor Booker and Justin Hamilton being signed.

Next: Brooklyn Nets: 5 Point Guard Options This Summer

Therein lies the danger in signing restricted free agents, as the Nets looked to have one of the better offseasons in the NBA in the early going. But, with it now being all said and done, they look to have struck out as the Nets still have a lot of work to do revamping their backfield.