2021 NBA Trade Deadline: 5 big men teams should target

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 27: Nikola Vucevic #9 of the Orlando Magic between plays against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second quarter at Amway Center on December 27, 2019 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry Aaron/Getty Images) /

2 of 6

NBA Trade Deadline Mandatory Credit: Nick Wass/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Mason Plumlee

If the Detroit Pistons are conducting a fire sale – and by all accounts, they appear to be – getting rid of Mason Plumlee is an obvious move. There’s no way the veteran center is part of the team’s long-term plans.

Plumlee is having a career-year, averaging 10.4 points and 9.1 rebounds per game. He’s even shown a propensity to step back and attempt the occasional three-pointer, averaging a career-high 0.2 attempts this season (that’s a joke).

There are no areas of the game where Plumlee is elite and there’s nothing wrong with that. He’s incredibly dependable and steady in the middle and having that kind of consistency is invaluable come the playoffs.

Plumlee’s contract doesn’t do him many favors. He signed a three-year, $25 million deal with the Pistons in the offseason, a likely overpay and one that keeps the center on the books through the 2022-23 season, by the end of which he’ll be 33 years old.

That also complicates matters because he’s not purely a rental. Detroit will be expecting some draft assets or young players in return for a player whose regression could be close-at-hand, despite his suddenly newfound ability to pull triple-doubles.

Someone will likely take their chances anyway. Two teams to look out for in the chase for Plumlee are the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns.

Home/Atlanta Hawks