NBA Trade Grades: Blazers Deal Mason Plumlee To Nuggets For Jusuf Nurkic
Denver Nuggets
On paper, it seems like the Denver Nuggets lost this trade. They just got rid of a disgruntled 22-year-old who may thrive in a new environment, they had to give up a first round pick to do so and anytime you trade for a Plumlee, chances are it’s going to look like an L to the outside world.
Taking a deeper dive into the Nuggets’ current situation, however, reveals this trade is something of a victory for them too.
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Yes, Nurkic will probably make Denver regret this move down the road when he puts up solid numbers on a new team. But his frequent pouting was a detriment to the locker room of a team competing for a playoff spot, and he was hardly playing anyway.
The Bosnian Beast just didn’t fit alongside Jokic, and with the Joker’s rise to stardom looking like a sure (and present) thing, he became expendable.
Giving up a first-rounder is quite a ransom for Plumlee, but it’s less of a problem when Denver still has its own pick in the draft — the move valuable of the two — and doesn’t really need any more rookies. This roster that already includes so many young players; now it’s time to start developing them into a legitimate playoff squad.
With the Nuggets ranking dead last in defensive rating, perhaps Plumlee will get a chance to make a difference, either off the bench behind Jokic or alongside him. And therein lies the difference between this trade being a solid move or a home run: whether the two can play together in the frontcourt.
One big test for this deal will be whether or not Plumlee can play with Jokic for 5-15 mpg. If yes, it's a slam dunk, IMO.
— Adam Mares (@Adam_Mares) February 12, 2017
Plumlee’s averages of 11.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.2 blocks per game show how well-rounded his game is. Though the Blazers are a terrible defense and Plumlee had the worst defensive rating among all rotation players, he was also part of the reason Portland’s rim protection on shots inside of six feet was so stingy.
If he and Jokic can co-exist in limited minutes together, the Nuggets may have a dilemma on their hands when it comes to retaining Plumlee this summer.
Highly doubt POR is done dealing. Not sure how Plumlee fits in DEN long-term if he gets even borderline starting C money.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) February 12, 2017
But his status as a restricted free agent could also aid Denver in keeping him around long-term, and at the very least, he’ll help with this year’s playoff push. His passing should be a boon to the NBA’s eighth-ranked offense, especially alongside one of the game’s best passing bigs in Jokic.
DEN will surely test whether Plumlee/Jokic can play together. Plumlee would be incredible backup. DEN counting on RFA process to cool market
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) February 12, 2017
According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the next move for the Nuggets might be moving Danilo Gallinari, who can opt out of the final year of his contract this summer and probably won’t be a high priority for Denver’s front office to re-sign.
Next: 2017 NBA Trade Deadline: Grades For All 30 Teams
The Nuggets gave up the more attractive assets in this swap, but the 26-year-old Plumlee is an underrated center who, even if he and Jokic don’t mesh together, will serve as a terrific backup. The question is whether a first round pick — even an extra one — and a promising young player like Nurkic were a proper allocation of resources for that kind of acquisition.
Grade: B