Denver Trading Nurkic to Portland

Are we just ignoring Portland's 2nd round pick?

Plumlee for Memphis #1
Nurkic for Portland's #2

imo, that's the trade. I guess Denver considers Jokic a high-post passing big (like Walton) with a three-point shot, who can indeed coexist with a low post big playing with him, in some shortterm Big lineup. I do find Jokic to be so talented on offense that we shouldn't pigeon-hole him to say he can not play with other bigs, or that it's foolish to do so. Of course he can. Plus, obviously Mason gets all his rest minutes.

Obviously, there are better PF matchups with him, but for a late 1st rounder? Mason would just platoon there anyhow -- probably 16-18 mpg as C backup and 10 mpg as Big Lineup with Jokic in High Post Passing position . Jokic does need defense help. Maybe this is the way to help him with defense??? I don't know.

 

Nurkic would have been a solid back up for us for many years i like the trade for Portland i hope they draft all busts!!!

 

I wonder if this was just a trade to increae3 cap space in the summer for Denver.

All reports are they are trying to make a push. Get better now. Lose the cap hold for the 1st rd pick and get a high 2nd instead without a cap hold. If plum walks on k so? Maybe they try and still trade all their assets for a semi star? Like Ibaka or just target him or millsap in off season to pair with Jokic?

IDK tho

 

Plumlee is good. Obv Denver will pay up to keep him. And Denver is a very racist market and loves it some more white guys.

 

I wonder if Miles has been targeted by Denver for a while and if not, is he jealous of his brother who has been a target of a team for a while.

 

Trade grades

The deal
Nuggets get: Forward Mason Plumlee, 2018 Portland second-round pick
Blazers get: Center Jusuf Nurkic, 2017 Memphis first-round pick (top-five protected)

Denver Nuggets: C-
ESPN's Jeff Goodman reported that the Nuggets made this trade because they felt Nurkic fit poorly with franchise centerpiece Nikola Jokic and they think Plumlee will fit well alongside him. I agree with precisely half of that sentiment.

The shortcomings of the Jokic-Nurkic duo are inarguable. According to NBA.com/Stats, Denver was outscored by an incredible 15.6 points per 100 possessions with Jokic and Nurkic on the court together, ghastly no matter the sample size. With Jokic establishing himself as a future All-Star and Nurkic surely chafing in a small role, a trade was inevitable.

But why this one?

Offensively, a Jokic-Plumlee pairing seems more viable. Plumlee can operate as a traditional finisher when the offense runs through Jokic in the high post, and he
is enough of a threat as a passer that he can step to the perimeter when Jokic plays down low -- something Nurkic wasn't really capable of doing.

Defensively, however, I don't see how it works. Neither Jokic nor Plumlee is quick enough to defend most of the league's power forwards, and Plumlee isn't the kind of elite rim-protector you'd want next to Jokic if the Nuggets wanted to take him out of that role.

If Plumlee merely helps solidify Denver's reserve units without Jokic, that should help the Nuggets make the playoffs this season. Their net rating is minus-6.5 with Jokic on the bench since he ascended to the starting lineup, according to NBA.com/Stats, and even worse (minus-8.1) with Nurkic on the court in that span.

Yet if Plumlee is nothing more than a backup to Jokic, that seems like a poor investment of resources. Not only did he cost a first-round pick plus whatever the Nuggets could have gotten for Nurkic in an alternative deal (possibly another late first-rounder), Plumlee is about to get much more expensive as a restricted free agent.

The Nuggets may be able to afford all of it. They've still got all of their own first-round picks to add to a roster that's already flush with young talent. And because Plumlee's cap hold this summer is small ($5.8 million), Denver can still clear enough cap space to offer a player the maximum salary if Danilo Gallinari opts out of his contract as expected.

Still, given the Nuggets' ability to mine international big men through the draft (in addition to Nurkic and Jokic, drafted 16th and 41st, respectively, they've also got Juan Hernangomez and the rights to 2016 second-round pick Petr Cornelie), I'd rather have taken my chances there in the long term and looked for a short-term upgrade at center to boost Denver's playoff chances.

Portland Trail Blazers: B+
From a value standpoint, this deal is a great one for the Blazers. They get an extra year of a center on his cheap rookie contract, a crucial consideration, given that Portland was already projected to be above the luxury-tax line before considering a new contract for Plumlee. On top of that, the Blazers add another 2017 first-round pick and will almost certainly have a league-high three picks in the first round, giving them the flexibility to try to move up or merely add several low-cost contributors to fill out their bench.

At the same time, make no mistake: This deal means a huge stylistic change for a team that is a game back of the Nuggets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Plumlee's versatile skill set was a big part of Portland's offense, and Nurkic brings a very different style.

Among starting centers, Plumlee's 4.0 assists per 36 minutes ranked him fourth in the league, just behind Jokic (4.2). The Blazers relied on him as a secondary playmaker when opposing defenses trapped guards Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, most notably in last year's playoff series against the L.A. Clippers. Plumlee averaged 5.7 assists per game in the series. By contrast, per Basketball-Reference.com Nurkic's career high is five assists.

My read is Portland was inspired to make this deal in part by Evan Turner's move into the starting lineup. Turner is also a source of secondary -- and even primary -- playmaking, and if the Blazers view Turner as their permanent starting small forward after he returns from a fractured metacarpal on his right hand that will sideline him five to six weeks, Plumlee is a little bit less of a necessity.

The other intriguing adjustment for Portland will be to Nurkic's post-up game, something the Blazers have lacked in recent seasons. According to Synergy Sports tracking on NBA.com/Stats, 35.4 percent of Nurkic's plays this season (shot attempts, trips to the free throw line or turnovers) came on post-ups, the league's third-highest mark.

Despite his limited playing time, Nurkic has finished 152 plays in the post this season. The Blazers as a team have finished just 218, the league's third-lowest mark. Nurkic will add some diversity to the Portland attack, but he must be more efficient as a post scorer than he was in Denver. He has averaged just .72 points per play on post-ups, second lowest among players who have finished at least 150.

The best part of the center swap from the Blazers' perspective is that Nurkic is still just 22 and two years removed from being one of the league's most promising rookies. Plumlee, who will turn 27 next month, is already near or at his peak as a player. Nurkic gives Portland more room to grow, something that's necessary given that the Blazers as currently constituted don't appear capable of competing in the West.

By getting that upside plus a first-round pick, Portland comes out ahead in this deal despite taking a step backward in the short term.​

 

I've seen him play at the Pepsi center a few times; solid center, young and pretty confident. I think Portland just landed their starting C!

For Denver I dunno what Plumlee can bring but at least now they can go 110 % with Jokic as their starting PF or C and perhaps build something around him.

 

Have to disagree. You are suggesting the trade is about fair ex-post your subjective value assessments. RE: It's fair bc vs consensus, to you, Nurkic is overrated Plumlee underrated.

Nurkic will likely be Portland's starting center after a few games. I definitely don't remember getting a starter back as part of the DMO package. So, in this particular case DMO RFA season = 14th pick and Plumlee RFA season + mid 2nd rounder = 20th pick + A starting center for a team with playoff aspirations.

As a general rule, cost controlled, young, playoff caliber starting centers aren't available for mid 2nd round picks. By definition of the equation above I'd surmise Denver way, way, overvalues Plumlee. But much like in any free market it just takes one sucker...

Great for the Rox that an upcoming superstar just had his team overreach for a 20mpg RFA-to-be. Anything which obstructs his path is a bonus for us over the next few years.

(And yes, my bias is that in 2 yrs Nurkic will be head and shoulders the more valuable asset and this trade will be be remembered as a shocker)

 

Potentially dumb comment coming up:

I thought we owned Portlands 2nd round pick in 2017?

We owe the Nuggets OUR 2nd rounder (for Ty Lawson. shudder)
We got the Blazers 2nd rounder for TRob
We got the Knicks 2nd rounder for Shved (2019 2nd as well)

So the pick the Blazers are sending is their 2018 pick.
But when I checked on that, it appears the Kings already have the option of swapping the pick if the Blazers 2nd rounder is better than their own.
If that happens, it could be that there is no pick conveyed to Denver - will be interesting to see how that pans out.

With that info, this seems like a far WORSE deal for Denver.
I don't rate Nurkic in the slightest, but not sure about giving up pick 20ish for Plumlee is a good move. Could be they have no desire to flunk with a pick, and want to build with what they have, and value a role player over an untried rookie who may not even be NBA quality. Still seems odd, I imagine they could have got more for a first round pick, and still found themselves a big to pair with Jokic.

 

I think most of you just see the names and explode..... without actually watching games other teams play.

Nurkic has severely regressed with the injury. He is a turnover machine and just a plodding center, no fluidity in his game. He and Jokic cannot play together at all.

Plumlee, on the other hand, is a young stud with major upside. He's 11/8/4 with limited minutes, and moves like a deer.

It's a good move by both teams.

 

Agreed. Never got why so many here were eager to trade a first for Nurkic.

 

this might be an unpopular opinion: nuggets didn't do so bad.

mason is a better player than nurkic or whatever they'd get with a late first and its hard for them to land free agent talent, so they get more talented where they otherwise wouldn't have.

offensively i think the pairing works well. these are two of the best passing bigs in the game. they'll have a nice high-low offense. defensively they'll struggle against smaller/quicker teams... but they wont be any worse than they already were.

i think both teams came away with a solid B or B-.

 

Always liked Plumlee. Thought he would do well here. DEN definitely won this trade. What are they doing up in Portland?
They give away ridiculous contracts to Crabbe, Turner, Ezeli. We might have misfired on Ryno, but it's not nearly as bad as
what some other teams are dealing with.

Gallo looks really interesting. I know he played well in NY under MDA.

 

Plumlee is very underrated here. He's probably Portland's most efficient player and a surprisingly good playmaker. Jokic/Plumlee gives you one of the best center rotation in the league. Denver is obviously trying to make the playoffs this year.

From the Blazers point of view they basically just said that they have given up on the season and is looking at the draft. They signed some bad contracts last summer and it's hurting them now. Ezeli has yet to play for them and may never do.

 

Jurkic sucks.

 

I don't get this trade.

Jokic- Plumlee? How is that supposed to work? Are they going to pay Plumlee to be a backup? Then why give up a first for him?
And Portland..now they will have to change a big part of their plays in offence because no other bigs they have are the kind of playmaker Plumlee is.

 

1 why not ? many great teams had elite playmakers and great backup is worth the first
2. portland's system is not working anyway so why not try something different

 

Plumlee's ability to pass from the high post is sexyyyyyy, but PDX still won the trade.

 

1.because they are both only centers who can't defend the rim. Are you going to pay the backup of your soon to be max player , the 14+ per that Plumlee is going to get? For what adn why? He won't be able to give you a different look and neither will they be able to play together.
2. Not offensively. Offensively Plumlee was working fine.

 

I don't think anyone is underrating Plumlee's value or ability. The real problem is he's a free agent this summer and will get paid. Denver could have gotten more for Nurkic IMO.

From Portland's view, they got something for a guy that was walking away for nothing this summer. If Nurkic doesn't pan out this season and next, at least they converted a 2nd rounder to a 1st.