Now that we are a mere 10 days away from the 2017 NBA trade deadline, a very active trade market behind the scenes will finally materialize into some player and asset movement as teams try to improve their rosters and prepare themselves for a postseason run, the 2017 off-season and beyond.
The second real trade domino of the month came down over the weekend as the second Plumlee brother was traded in a matter of a week (be wary Marshall Plumlee). The Nuggets and Blazers agreed to a deal where they acquired Mason Plumlee and a 2nd round pick for Jusuf Nurkic and their 2017 1st round pick.
The trade is a little puzzling on both sides when you consider that the Nuggets have learned that they are by far at their best with budding star Nikola Jokic at the center position and the Blazers acquired a bruising center, but not really one known for having the lateral quickness and ability to be a good rim protector which is their biggest need.
The thought processes for the trade is the Nuggets knew it did not work with Jokic and Nurkic on the floor together. The addition of an experienced big man who could compliment Jokic a little better in Plumlee could give them a minor boost in their pursuit of a playoff spot this season.
While in the short term there is no denying that the Nuggets are a better team today than they were on Friday, but looking beyond the 2016-17 season this trade will prove to be a mistake for them.
For starters, Mason Plumlee is a free agent to be this summer and although he will be restricted, meaning the Nuggets will have rights to re-sign him, in order for this trade not to be seen as a complete failure, they will have to pay him big money to re-sign him, in the range of $16 million to $18 million one would project. This is a lot to give to a guy that more than likely will not be a starter and play with the cornerstone of their team moving forward in Jokic for stretches here and there. It’s a similar situation to the Suns panicking at the 2015 trade deadline and trading the future Lakers first round draft pick (which could be another top 5 pick for them this year) in order to acquire Brandon Knight who was a pending free agent to be and re-signed to a contract which they now regret.
The far bigger problem long-term with this Nuggets trade though is the fact that they gave up their 1st round pick and what was projected to be one of the deeper drafts in recent memory, in order to improve their chances of making the postseason as the No. 8 seed in the west and let’s be honest, get swept by a juggernaut Golden State Warriors team.
So is the small boost in playoff chances this season worth putting yourself in a position where you will need to pay big money to keep a rotational big to save face (although a young and diversely skilled big, they now have two of the 10 best passing big men in the NBA) and giving up a 1st round pick in a deep draft that is still your best shot at landing the star that they have been searching for since Carmelo was traded in 2011? I say no.
While trading Nurkic was the right move for the organization and the player, it is admirable that they dealt him to a team that will give him ample opportunity. Trading your first round pick to do it makes the move a head-scratcher and not a prudent decision moving forward.
Maybe there is another move on the way that will help this make more sense, but as of now it appears as though the Nuggets may have made a poor decision moving forward.
