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Why Did The Portland Trail Blazers Trade Their 2015 Draft Pick?

By Garrett Beecher

Apr 6, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Mason Plumlee (1) and Portland Trail Blazers center Meyers Leonard (11) battle for a rebound during first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 6, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets center Mason Plumlee (1) and Portland Trail Blazers center Meyers Leonard (11) battle for a rebound during first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Internet cheered Thursday night when the Portland Trail Blazers used the 23rd pick in the 2015 NBA Draft to select Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. With Wesley Matthews set to hit free agency and after trading Nicolas Batum to Charlotte, the Blazers have a gaping hole to fill on the wing and drafting Hollis-Jefferson looked like the perfect way to reload at an affordable price.

However, shortly after making the pick, Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Hollis-Jefferson and Steve Blake would be traded to the Brooklyn Nets for big man Mason Plumlee and a second round pick (which turned out to be Pat Connaughton). And now the fans want to know: was this trade right for Portland?

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To answer this question let’s take a look at what kind of production the Blazers will be getting from Mason Plumlee. Plumlee was the 22nd pick in the drafted two years ago and the Duke product projected to be a solid NBA rotation player. In his two years with Brooklyn Plumlee has averaged eight points and six rebounds, mostly off the bench.

His numbers over 36 minutes are encouraging with the big man projected to be a consistent double-double guy — more than Robin Lopez, Plumlee’s potential replacement, can say at this point. Also, while we’re talking about swapping out Lopez for Plumlee, we have to mention the difference in their respective contracts.

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    • Lopez made over $5 million last year and with the cap set to jump over the next few years, Lopez is all but guaranteed to command more than that this summer. In contrast, Plumlee is on the books for $1.5 million this year and $2 million next year. You can see the appeal.

    Comparing Lopez and Plumlee can be misleading, however. The Blazers as presently constituted don’t rely on Robin Lopez for his offense, they love his rim protection and that’s something that Mason doesn’t provide yet. Via NylonCalculus, opponents shot 55 percent at the rim with Plumlee contesting versus Lopez’s 50.5 percent.

    While he’s only a third-year player Plums is already 25, making the hopes of future development less likely than if he were a more young and raw prospect. One defensive advantage the new Blazer has over Lopez is his rebounding. At 6’11”, 235 pounds, Plumlee isn’t the strongest player in the league, but he fights hard for position and cleans the glass well.

    That’s valuable on the most basic defensive level because securing a board means the opponent’s possession is over and they no longer have any chance at scoring. If the front office really plans on letting Lopez walk in free agency and starting their newly acquired center, it will be interesting to see how Coach Stotts adjusts his defensive schemes to compensate.

    Luckily, that’s not where the fun ends. The other half of the trade features a swap of Steve Blake’s $2.1 million salary for Pat Connaughton’s 44” vertical and relatively miniscule salary.

    An undeniable athlete, the knock on Pat Connaughton is his defense. Are you starting to see a pattern here? Behind Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Dorrell Wright, and Wesley Matthews (if he stays) Connaughton is unlikely to find many minutes, but every team has dreams of stumbling into the next Chandler Parsons or Draymond Green.

    So what did the Trail Blazers really get for the No. 23 pick? A potential Robin Lopez replacement, a raw second round prospect, and about $5 million in cap space. Now if you waive Chris Kaman’s $5 million contact, you’ve got some real money to pursue a significant role player, which brings us back to the original question: was this the right trade for the Blazers?

    General manager Neil Olshey still has some work to do before the true value of this trade can really be nailed down, but the deal gives Portland lots of options and flexibility without giving up very much. And in the constantly shifting landscape of the NBA, that’s all you can hope for in June.

    Next: LaMarcus Aldridge: Top 5 Free Agency Destinations

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