A Magic Jokic shirt, Nuggets trade, a box of Mike and Ike's, and Metallica performing at the Grammys? Pinch me, perfect days like this only happen 4% of the time for me.
With the trade deadline still 11 days away, I was just working on an article detailing the Nuggets' untouchables, tradeables, and targets. Yet, as I stood tossing a football to my cousin, my arguably uneventful day was turned upside down. At 11:15 AM on February 12th, Jusuf Nurkic and a 2017 first rounder (MEM) were traded to the Portland Trailblazers for Mason Plumlee and a 2018 second rounder. This WojBomb came just after the mind-boggling report that the Nuggets were interested in Jahlil Okafor, catching me completely off guard. Denver finally decided to pull the trigger on a substantially big trade for the first time in a while, but does the risk yield rewards?
Mason Plumlee to the Nuggets: a Great Move
Learning of the trade at 11:15 am, I spent most of the day reading up on Plumlee, and I wasn't disappointed with what I found. First of all, Plumlee is having a career year, averaging 11.1 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1.2 blocks. Compare those numbers with Jusuf Nurkic's 8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.8 blocks, you'll see the Nuggets won the player vs. player debate on paper.
Mason Plumlee has also been considered by Bleacher Report as the 2nd best playmaking Center in the entire NBA- behind the one and only Nikola Jokic. The term playmaking means that Plumlee scores unassisted baskets and assists on made baskets at a high clip. Both of those skills translate directly into great offense, of which the Nuggets have plenty. Our bench units haven't been doing so well lately, but with Plumlee manning the offense in a way similar to Jokic, offense will start to pump through the bench's veins. With a blazing bench unit, the starter's stellar play could turn a close game into a blowout victory. Although Plumlee's offensive game is smooth, his defense isn't exactly eye-popping, in fact, it's summed up by the word "meh". As long as he sticks his hand up when opponents take shots, Plumlee will be an upgrade over Nurkic.
To delve into the deep end on the characterization chart, we look at Mason Plumlee's impact on his teammates. Nurkic was definitely well-liked in the Nuggets organization, as Steve Hess and Kenneth Faried posted some heartfelt farewells among others. However, it seems as if Plumlee's former teammates were blind-sided by a bullet train as word of the trade spread. This article from The Oregonian by Joe Freeman really shows how great Mason Plumlee was to have on the Blazers. The fact that the players were shocked and saddened by the trade speaks volumes to Mason's value as a leader.
"'It's a tough one, man," Lillard said. "Mase was one of our guys; like a brother to me. I have a great bond with Mase, on and off the floor. It's sucked to see him go ... and we're definitely going to miss him. I was very surprised. I figured if it was going to happen with anybody, it wouldn't be Mase, just because he meant that much to our team and did so many things for our team on the floor." (per Joe Freeman, The Oregonian). Praise like that from one of the best point guards in the NBA can only mean great things. Blazers practice Sunday was said to be "more solemn than usual", which makes me wonder how Nurkic is going to do replacing a primary cog in Portland's off-court life. There's no doubt "Plumdog Millionaire" is worth more than a billion in the locker room.
As far as the picks in this trade go, I'm not too concerned. Although I believe that 2017 1st rounder in one of the best drafts ever could've been put to better use, the Nuggets honestly don't need another rookie deserving of playing time. We don't even have our own D-League team yet! There's barely any room on the roster for one rookie- much less for two. With Tim Connelly controlling the draft room, that 2018 second round pick may just turn into another Jokic for Denver. Portland used pressing time to their advantage in this trade, pulling a fast one on the Nuggets picks-wise.
Today, Tim Connelly addressed the press and dropped a friendly bombshell that Mason Plumlee would be sticking around Denver for a long time. Even though Plumlee becomes a Restricted Free Agent this summer, the Nuggets have more than enough cash in the bank to add at least another 3 years onto his tenure, making this trade more than worthwhile.
Welcome to the greatest city on Earth, Mason Plumlee! Denver believes in you, and you'd better believe we're going to end that 3-year Playoff drought!
