Marc Stein: Teams inquire about availability of Mason Plumlee
It is evident that General Manager Billy King has never utilized the oldest investment strategy in the books.
In ESPN’s “summer scoop,” an in-depth look into the Nets off-season, Marc Stein and Mike Mazzeo wrote about the demand for Plumlee during the 2014-15 season.
“It’s unavoidably tantalizing to think about what the Nets might have gotten for Plumlee, had they actively shopped him before he fell out of favor — bearing in mind the two future first-round picks Denver extracted from Cleveland for Timofey Mozgov.”
After averaging 15.2 points and 8.6 rebounds in the months of December and January, teams were “flooding” the Nets front office, inquiring about the young Brooklyn center. However, Plumlee was off-limits during this time. As a healthy Brook Lopez returned, Plumlee saw his playing time diminish.
According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, teams are still interested in Nets’ backup center Mason Plumlee.
And I'm hearing teams have indeed begun to inquire about availability of Mason Plumlee based on belief Nets willing to move young big man
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) May 27, 2015
With Plumlee’s trade value falling, should Brooklyn pull the trigger and let the former Blue Devil go?
What readers said at the time
1 reply came in under this piece in 2015, and they are kept here as they were written — the readers’ words, not ours, spelling and all. The thread is closed; the desk does not take new comments.
jerry2527 May 2015
Mason is the same player he was at the beginning of the season.
However, his value has decreased because he’s proven he can’t easily learn new things, and opponents are learning how to defend him (mostly fouling).However, if somehow Nets can find someone to get through to Mason on how to shoot free throws (not with one hand), things might turn around. Someone like Rick Barry should be honored to have the first NBA player in decades, utilize his underhanded FT shooting technique.
Mason should also should be doing some activity to improve his foot balance, which is required for shooting hook shots. Mason is no longer a youngster, so there’s no guarantee he’s going to improve much on offense. He has great “gross” coordination – running up and down court and dunking. However, his fine muscle coordination (in hands and feet) appears to be that of a non-athlete.
Regarding trading Mason, the only possibility I could see is if he’s added with DWill, because Nets are determined to get rid of Deron’s salary for July 2016. Last year such a move would have brought back Darren Collison. Right now, I’m not sure if the Kings would go along with including Collison. Also, finding another backup Center wouldn’t be easy. Even if Brook Lopez stays, he is injury prone.