2017 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Mason Plumlee: 3 years, $41 million (Denver Nuggets)
Restricted free agent Mason Plumlee has agreed to a three-year, $41M deal to return to Denver, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 18, 2017
Mason Plumlee is a very capable backup. So why on earth did the Denver Nuggets feel it was necessary to pony up $41 million over three years for a bench player who has shown little signs of being able to play alongside Nikola Jokic?
This late in the free agency game, paying Plumlee — who averaged 9.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 27 games with the Nuggets last year — an average of $13.7 million a season feels like a major reach. The market had already dried up, and in mid-September, it seemed more likely he’d play out the 2017-18 season on his qualifying offer than receive an extension like this.
Instead, the Nuggets felt the need to pay eight figures to a guy who will likely never amount to anything more than Jokic’s backup. Again, Plumlee is a very capable backup, but he was’t worth this much to keep around — even bearing in mind what they gave up to get him in the first place.
Bourguet Grade: D+