NBA Trade Grades: Blazers Deal Mason Plumlee To Nuggets For Jusuf Nurkic
Portland Trail Blazers
Leading up to the 2017 NBA Trade Deadline, many speculated the Blazers would try to swing a trade for rim protection or a defensive presence so they could repair one of the NBA’s bottom-five defenses.
After spending so much money to retain a young core following a surprising 44-win season, it made sense the Blazers would try to go all in on a push for a playoff spot this year. Instead, they shipped away their starting center and main rim protector for a 22-year-old, but somehow, the move is still in keeping with their goals for the future.
POR smart to play the long game. Never wanted to pay Plumlee, get Nurk + a pick that will likely end up around No. 20.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) February 12, 2017
While Portland’s 23-31 record is obviously disappointing, Rip City is still only one game behind the Nuggets for that eighth playoff spot, and Plumlee’s 111.0 defensive rating was worse than every player on the roster except the rarely used Pat Connaughton.
With Plumlee hitting restricted free agency this summer and the Blazers not exactly jumping for joy at the prospect of paying up to retain him, trading him away now makes sense.
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Nurkic is not the better player in this deal, but he eventually could be if he joins Portland with a motivated, more positive attitude. So far this season, his numbers haven’t improved as expected, hovering at 8.0 points and 5.8 rebounds in just 17.9 minutes per game.
Jokic’s emergence as a legitimate superstar obviously limited Nurkic’s ceiling in Denver, but the Bosnian Beast has also been hampered by injuries and a negative attitude. He’s a bruiser down low, but he’s not necessarily a rim protector either.
Luckily for the Blazers, even if Nurkic doesn’t pan out in a starting job — which he very well could after being shipped away from Denver — the deal adds the Nuggets’ 2017 first-rounder to the equation. That pick (via Memphis) will likely be around No. 21, giving the Blazers three first-rounders in the loaded 2017 NBA Draft.
Portland has three first-round picks in the loaded 2017 NBA Draft now.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 12, 2017
Most likely, Portland is not done making moves leading up to the 2017 NBA Trade Deadline. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, their next task will be dumping the injured Festus Ezeli.
Whatever the case, by avoiding Mason Plumlee’s restricted free agency, adding a promising youngster like Nurkic and pocketing an additional first round pick, the Trail Blazers struck quite a nice deal.
They will miss Plumlee’s passing on the interior, and we should point out that according to NBA.com, the Blazers were actually ranked first in defensive field goal percentage on shots inside of six feet. This move, however, is not about making the playoffs in 2017 as much as investing in Nurkic’s — and the rest of this roster’s — potential.
Grade: A-