Washington Wizards: 3 free agents to target with the DPE
By Ethan Smith
Free Agent Target #3: Allen Crabbe
When the Washington Wizards lost to the New York Knicks 109-91, it was their fifth consecutive game win in which they shot less than 30 percent from the three-point range.
Despite having Bradley Beal, Davis Bertans, and Garrison Matthews on the roster — guys you except to reign down threes on opponents with unrelenting fury — the Wizards are one of the NBA’s worst three-point shooting teams.
After 24 games, the Wizards rank 30th in three-point percentage and 24th in three-pointers made per game.
Even though the Wizards have the pieces to be a good three-point shooting team on paper, it isn’t translating on the court this season. The disabled player exception gives the Wizards the perfect opportunity to bring in a cheap sharpshooter. Hello, Allen Crabbe.
The 28-year-old free agent is available and could help raise the Wizards out of their shooting woes. Crabbe has averaged 38.7 percent from behind the arc during his seven NBA seasons while hoisting up 4.2 threes per game.
At his height, just two-three seasons ago, Crabbe averaged six or more three-point attempts per game for two consecutive seasons with the Brooklyn Nets. Crabbe shot 37.8 percent from behind the arc in both of those seasons.
The Wizards shooting slump may be temporary. Let’s hope. They have far too much talent to be shooting so poorly, so consistently. But even if they work themselves out of it all on their own, it wouldn’t hurt to have Crabbe around to knock down the threes in the meantime.
Last season, Crabbe spent time with the Atlanta Hawks before finishing the season with the Toronto Raptors. He averaged 4.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 17.6 minutes per game.