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NBA Trade Grades: Bucks Set To Deal Miles Plumlee For Roy Hibbert, Spencer Hawes

By Gerald Bourguet

Oct 15, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Miles Plumlee (18) dunks the ball in the third quarter during the game against the Chicago Bulls at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Miles Plumlee (18) dunks the ball in the third quarter during the game against the Chicago Bulls at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /
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NBA Trade Grades
Oct 23, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Milwaukee Bucks center Miles Plumlee (18) celebrates a bucket at the end of the third quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Milwaukee Bucks 112-108. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

Charlotte Hornets

Unfortunately for Hornets fans, Milwaukee’s side of the equation makes a lot more sense than Charlotte’s in this one. There’s just no easy way to defend trading for a rarely used, 28-year-old center who was just signed to a disastrous four-year, $52 million contract last summer.

This season, Plumlee’s averages have plummeted to 2.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.3 blocks in 9.7 minutes per game — a VERY far cry from the 8.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game he posted with the Phoenix Suns back in 2013-14, the season we can only assume is why Milwaukee and now Charlotte fell for him in the first place.

Last year, Plumlee averaged 5.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 14.3 minutes per game. The Bucks’ crowded frontcourt diminished his role under Jason Kidd, but with three years and $37.5 million remaining on Plumlee’s contract, it’s hard to understand what the Hornets are doing.

The only incentive here is the deal puts Charlotte over the cap, giving them a larger mid-level exception to work with this summer:

Roy Hibbert was something of a swing and miss, but he was also a cheap one-year rental who would’ve come off the books this summer. Spencer Hawes had a little more value, but re-signing him might not have been a priority if he opted out of his $6 million player option in a few months.

There should also be concern about the effects of losing those two for the NBA’s 11th ranked defense. Plumlee is not much of a rim protector, and though Hibbert and Hawes only combined for 7.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in their 33.9 minutes per game, the Hornets are unlikely to get that production back through Plumlee.

If the fear was losing two frontcourt players in free agency this summer and not having enough cap space to bring a quality replacement in, that’s at least one rationale. But Miles Plumlee is the solution they landed on? Really?

Grade: D

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