Plumlord Returns: The Mason Plumlee Thread

[Soul Rebel]

Love this trade, and agree that he's an upgrade over anything we had last year.

Question though....could this pave the way for us still bringing in someone like Theis, or is he too expensive? I do think Jones is our future starting 5 and Carey the back up, but having a Theis/Plumlee platoon for the next year or two would be great if we could fit it in.

[MPM]

Love this trade, and agree that he's an upgrade over anything we had last year.

Question though....could this pave the way for us still bringing in someone like Theis, or is he too expensive? I do think Jones is our future starting 5 and Carey the back up, but having a Theis/Plumlee platoon for the next year or two would be great if we could fit it in.

Reports say we have about 14mm in space after Plumlee - will be interesting to see what we do come Aug 2. Seems to hinge on Monk/Graham.

[BigSlam]

Love this trade, and agree that he's an upgrade over anything we had last year.

Question though....could this pave the way for us still bringing in someone like Theis, or is he too expensive? I do think Jones is our future starting 5 and Carey the back up, but having a Theis/Plumlee platoon for the next year or two would be great if we could fit it in.

I'd assume we are pretty set at the C position now.

Plumlee to start, PJ to still see some significant small ball 5 time and Big Vern the primary back up.

Kai, Thor and Nicky to get reps in the G.

[JMAC3]

Plumlee averaged 10.4 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 3.6 assists in just 27 mpg last season. He also started 56 games so he was playing vs other starting centers. Shot 80% from inside 3 feet, which sounds normal but it isn't. He also had 99 dunks in 56 games.

Zeller-21 mpg, 9.4 pts, 6.8 rpg, 1.8 assists. 21 starts/48 games. 52 dunks.68.5% inside 3 feet.
Biz-20 mpg, 5 pts, 5.3 rpg, 1.2 assists. 36 starts/56 games. 70 dunks. 69% inside 3 feet.

[JMAC3]

Plumlee averaged 10.4 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 3.6 assists in just 27 mpg last season. He also started 56 games so he was playing vs other starting centers. Shot 80% from inside 3 feet, which sounds normal but it isn't. He also had 99 dunks in 56 games.

Zeller-21 mpg, 9.4 pts, 6.8 rpg, 1.8 assists. 21 starts/48 games. 52 dunks.68.5% inside 3 feet.
Biz-20 mpg, 5 pts, 5.3 rpg, 1.2 assists. 36 starts/56 games. 70 dunks. 69% inside 3 feet.

Holmes-29 mpg, 14.2 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.7 assists. 61 starts. 91 dunks. 74.7% inside 3 feet.
Noel- 24 mpg, 5.1 rpg, 6.4 rpg, 0.7 assists. 41 starts/64 games. 76 dunks. 70.6% inside 3 feet.
Theis-25 mpg, 9.6 ppg,5.5 rpg, 1.7 assists. 51 starts/65 games. 30 dunks. 80.3% inside 3 feet.

[BigSlam]

I mean really, looking at Plumlee about the only thing he is missing is a 3pt shot and pus 75% FT shooting.

If he had those two things he'd pretty much tick every single box of what we need.

[yosemiteben]

Another nice thing about Plumlee is he has a very positive health history. He played in at least 70 games his first 6 years in the league, and played in at least 80 games in 4 of those 6. The last two years he had some DNP-CDs, but don't think he was hurt, was just circumstantial based on what the teams wanted to to do with their rotation.

[BigSlam]

I can't get over how good this trade was. It feels like total robbery on Mitch's behalf.

Not only do we get a good fit as a stop gap C who provides a lot of what we need from the position for now, but he comes at a bargain price.

It also prevents us from foolishly overpaying for someone like Allen or especially Holmes.

Plumlee comes at a 1/3 of the price and brings the same, if not more (passing in particular) than those guys do.

AND Mitch moved us up 20 spots in the draft.

Just amazing value and work by Mitch.

[JMAC3]

Also, we needed some veteran leadership in the locker room to go with Hayward.

I still would not be shocked in Biz makes his way onto the roster as an emergency center.

[BigSlam]

The Trade

Charlotte Hornets Receive: Mason Plumlee, No. 37 (JT Thor)

Detroit Pistons Receive: No. 57 (Balsa Koprivica)

Grades

Hornets: B+

Anyone hoping the Hornets would spend big on a center in free agency will be disappointed. They traded their way out of $20-plus million in cap space by taking on Mason Plumlee's $8.1 million salary.

Whatever. The center market isn't teeming with star-level options. Charlotte's best-case scenario consisted of backing up the Brinks truck for Jarrett Allen (restricted) or Richaun Holmes. Both would be gnarly fits, but the Hornets aren't yet more than postseason blips. The time for all-in investments isn't necessarily now.

Plumlee is a solid offensive stopgap in the middle. Starting centers off their rookie deals usually make more than sub-$9 million per year, and the Hornets can use him as a steadying presence over the next two seasons while they let Kai Jones, who they drafted at No. 19, marinate as a backup and in the G League.

Playing Plumlee comes with a defensive trade-off. He is human toast when pulled too far away from the basket. But his offensive skill set is more than serviceable. The Pistons often used him to facilitate action from the post, and his finishing at the rim was otherworldly last season. He shot a career-high 79.5 percent inside three feet and averaged 1.5 points per possession as a cutter—the sixth-best mark among 84 players to finish at least 50 such touches. LaMelo Ball can have fun with him in the half court.

Acquiring Plumlee still gives the Hornets an opportunity to work with cap space if they want. They could also just carry Malik Monk's restricted free-agent hold and dangle the non-taxpayer's mid-level exception, valued at more than $9.5 million. Either way, between Plumlee and drafting Jones and the 6'9" JT Thor, they've freed themselves up to focus on wings who pack a defensive punch.



Pistons: B

Detroit treated Plumlee as a net negative in this trade, which is a little surprising given the offensive utility he provided with minimal talent around him. Moving down 20 spots to lop off the two years and $16.7 million he's owed isn't egregious, but given some of the prospects who fell past No. 37 (Jared Butler, Ayo Dosunmu), it feels like the Pistons should've held serve rather than chiseling out cap space.

Then again: They have cap space.

Wiping Plumlee's money from the ledger gives them access to more than $18 million in spending power if they so choose. They can use that cash to make some nifty grabs on the open market—not unlike what they did with Jerami Grant last year.

Trading Plumlee is fine even if the Pistons are more bent on talent retention (Hamidou Diallo, Wayne Ellington, Dennis Smith Jr.). They were a little too tank-proof when left untouched. A Rookie of the Year push from Cade Cunningham can feasibly move them out of high-lottery territory.

Beyond the preservation of a low floor, Detroit is now more married to Isaiah Stewart's development. After watching his defensive energy and seeing his dalliance with set threes, that counts as a win.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2946559-grading-the-biggest-trades-from-wild-nba-draft-day

[predators]

At 8 million/year he's way better value than Zeller at 15 million, but I don't think he's necessarily a better player, especially on defense. He fits with what we do offensively though.

[SWedd523]

I'd also like to add to my previous thoughts.

A trade like this is precisely why I've always argued against giving out a bunch of long term middling deals to mediocre guys, zeroing out cap space "just because why not", and having dead Batum money on the books while paying his replacement MAX money. Those are bad accounting tactics.


Maintaining flexible books with cheap and/or short term deals allows you to have more bargaining power in trades, and maintaining space allows you to take advantage of teams looking to clear money off their books. OKC now has something like 46 draft picks over the next 3 years because they've been trade facilitators. Having clean books opens you up to opportunities.

[ElectricMayhem]

An interesting thought by someone on the Pistons board was that a part of this deal is that we'll sign Monk with a promise that Charlotte won't match. I honestly don't know how much the Pistons need Monk, but it would help explain why we would pay to give up a positive contributor in Plumlee. Maybe Weaver isn't too keen on Josh Jackson or Diallo. In any case, the next few days should show whether there is any merit to this wild speculation. Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure Detroit already knows what it's going to do with its newfound cap space.

By the way. You guys had a great draft and Plumlee will only add to your success. Keep treating Miles well. We in Spartanville are glad to see him succeeding. That Ball/Bridges combo is fun.

[yosemiteben]

An interesting thought by someone on the Pistons board was that a part of this deal is that we'll sign Monk with a promise that Charlotte won't match. I honestly don't know how much the Pistons need Monk, but it would help explain why we would pay to give up a positive contributor in Plumlee.

Highly doubt that's it, we'd need to know if Monk would go there and Mitch is a notorious stickler for the tampering rules.

[Hornet Mania]

An interesting thought by someone on the Pistons board was that a part of this deal is that we'll sign Monk with a promise that Charlotte won't match. I honestly don't know how much the Pistons need Monk, but it would help explain why we would pay to give up a positive contributor in Plumlee.

Highly doubt that's it, we'd need to know if Monk would go there and Mitch is a notorious stickler for the tampering rules.

The same theory has also been suggested as an explanation for the somewhat-generous pick protections in the CHA/NYK trade.

I agree with Yosemiteben that it is highly unlikely given Mitch's reputation, but man it would be hilarious if Mitch worked that angle on both Detroit and New York on the same night. What could they do?

"No take backs."

[ElectricMayhem]

An interesting thought by someone on the Pistons board was that a part of this deal is that we'll sign Monk with a promise that Charlotte won't match. I honestly don't know how much the Pistons need Monk, but it would help explain why we would pay to give up a positive contributor in Plumlee.

Highly doubt that's it, we'd need to know if Monk would go there and Mitch is a notorious stickler for the tampering rules.

The same theory has also been suggested as an explanation for the somewhat-generous pick protections in the CHA/NYK trade.

I agree with Yosemiteben that it is highly unlikely given Mitch's reputation, but man it would be hilarious if Mitch worked that angle on both Detroit and New York on the same night. What could they do?

Yeah, I'm not sure Monk makes a whole lot of sense for Detroit unless they're parting ways with Jackson and Diallo, but I guess we'll see if Monk signs with Detroit or New York.

[Bassman]

So upon reflection and study, I like this trade because it is better than what we had last year. Is that good enough?

Good offensive player for the basic stuff, helps and distributes decently for a big, finishes well at the rim, good rebounder.

Defense is a liability as per Bleacher Report stated earlier: “Playing Plumlee comes with a defensive trade-off. He is human toast when pulled too far away from the basket.” Yep, and another thing….he’s not really a shot blocker.

So yes a good salary, a good trade in that regard, but I really wanted more. Gotta hope Kai Jones develops into an athletic assassin in the next couple of years. Plumlee will be a good mentor for him. I don’t really like PJ playing the 5 but I’m sure he will get burn there.

[Liver_Pooty]

So upon reflection and study, I like this trade because it is better than what we had last year. Is that good enough?

Good offensive player for the basic stuff, helps and distributes decently for a big, finishes well at the rim, good rebounder.

Defense is a liability as per Bleacher Report stated earlier: “Playing Plumlee comes with a defensive trade-off. He is human toast when pulled too far away from the basket.” Yep, and another thing….he’s not really a shot blocker.

So yes a good salary, a good trade in that regard, but I really wanted more. Gotta hope Kai Jones develops into an athletic assassin in the next couple of years. Plumlee will be a good mentor for him. I don’t really like PJ playing the 5 but I’m sure he will get burn there.

I hope we resign Zeller, but I just don't see that happening

[luciano-davidwesley]

The only question is would we have been better off taking the Favors + 30th pick for a fake second deal rather than the Plumlee one?

[vtime]

Lamelo need the athletic lob guy, that would be Plumlee, no longer Favors.