A couple of weeks before the February 23 NBA deadline, Denver agreed to send Bosnian center Jusuf Nurkić to Portland in exchange for Mason Plumlee. The swap also involves two future draft picks and cash considerations.
A tweet from Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical said that the Trail Blazers shipped the 22nd pick of the 2013 Draft and a 2018 second rounder to the Nuggets, where the 7-foot Nurkic will be bringing in a 2017 first rounder. It is due to the stellar play of their other European center in Serbian Nikola Jokić.
Denver Stiffs also mentioned that Nurkic is starting to feel his frustrations due to his decreased role for the team. His diminished role is due to the emergence of their sophomore big man Nikola Jokić.
Mason Plumlee, on the other hand, will provide a defensive presence on the shaded lane just like how he provided to his now former team Portland. He is averaging 11 points and 8 rebounds in 28 minutes this current season. His, role, however, will be reduced from a starter to an off-the-bench replacement to Jokic but his impact is remained to be seen.
The Nuggets will benefit by getting the former Duke alum Plumlee with his versatility according to the analysis on Denver Post. At 6-foot-11, he fits well with the up-tempo offense that coach Michael Malone is running with the team, combined with his athleticism and his good passing.
SB Nation sees the trade beneficial to the Blazers as they can utilize Nurkic as a post threat on offense and an intimidating force underneath for the team. Plumlee is producing the numbers that they are expected from a big man but with Nurkić, they can get Plumlee's stats but for a lower pay.
Nurkić is averaging 8.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in his 46 games with the 24-30 Denver this season. Plumlee, on the other hand, is norming 11.1 points, 8 boards and 4 assists in 54 games with Portland, who's holding a 23-31 card.
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