2017 NBA free agency grades: Denver Nuggets re-sign Mason Plumlee
The Denver Nuggets fortified their frontcourt at a steep cost by re-signing Mason Plumlee to a three-year deal.
Apparently, 27 games, 9.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game was enough to convince the Denver Nuggets they needed Mason Plumlee long-term.
ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted Monday morning that Denver and the restricted free agent center had agreed to a three-year, $41 million contract. Plumlee accepted this deal as opposed to settling for a $4.6 million qualifying offer.
Had he accepted the qualifying offer, he would have been a unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2018. Instead, he will have well-lined pockets once it’s time for free agency in 2020.
Plumlee arrived from the Portland Trail Blazers via trade back in February. He will be owed nearly $12.7 million in 2017-18. He will be the third highest-paid player on the roster this coming season. Only by Kenneth Faried ($12.9 million) and new acquisition Paul Millsap ($31.3 million) exceed his salary.
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
Plumlee’s salary this year is also about $11.2 million more than starting center Nikola Jokic. However, that discrepancy is explainable. Jokic is entering the third year of a four-year deal. He and the Nuggets agreed to it a year after he was selected in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft. Jokic had spent the 2014-15 season playing in his homeland of Serbia.
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Mason Plumlee is entering his fifth season in the NBA. The Brooklyn Nets drafted him 22nd overall out of Duke in 2013. He’s wildly athletic and brings effort every time he’s on the floor. Plumlee is also a good passing big man. He’s also a solid screen-setter that can be dangerous on the roll.
Plumlee is a low-maintenance player. In Denver, he held a 17.5 percent usage rate and averaged 6.7 field goal attempts per game. According to NBA Math, 23.4 percent of his offense came off of cutting plays and he averaged 1.33 points per possessions on put-backs.
It can be beneficial to have a big man that keeps the offense flowing and cleans up on the boards. However, Plumlee does have the tendency to over-pass the ball.
Tactically, re-signing Plumlee was a good move on Denver’s part. It shores up the Nuggets’ frontcourt depth with a talented big man that would be a starter on several teams. The 6.0 total win shares he accumulated between Denver and Portland last season was 12th-most among 2017 free agents.
That ranking placed him between teammate Millsap (6.4) and George Hill of the Sacramento Kings. However, the price Denver re-signed Plumlee for seems steep. It’s especially steep since they’re retaining him solely to be Jokic’s backup.
The Nuggets have six team options (including Jokic’s) and Gary Harris‘ restricted free agency to figure out in summer 2018. It will be interesting to see how general manager Arturas Karnisovas navigates the financials with the amount of money currently tied up with the team’s top two power forwards and now the backup center.
Re-signing Mason Plumlee was a good on-court decision for the Nuggets, adding a solid backup to a young team. However, the amount of money he’s owed may complicate matters financially for the Nuggets not too far down the line.
Next: Complete 2017 NBA offseason grades for all 30 teams
Grade: C