This is something that not many people expected. Denver Nuggets decided to keep their center Mason Plumlee offering him 3-year, $41 million deal. Plumlee was a restricted free agent this season, and it is surprising that he ended up with such a big deal, since the training camp is a week away and it looked like there were no other interested parties. Plumlee confirmed the deal by posting a letter to Denver Nuggets’ fans on his website.
“I am grateful that we got a deal done and excited for the challenge of the season to come. I meant what I said when I was traded here last year. This is an exciting, talented young team with a bunch of high character guys and I’ve always admired the loyalty and dedication of Nuggets fans. With some of the big additions this summer and another year of experience for the young guns, I believe this team can compete with anyone in the league.” – wrote Plumlee in his letter.
Mason Plumlee became a member of the Nuggets in February 2017 after Portland Blazers traded him alongside 2018 second round pick in exchange for Jusuf Nurkic and protected 2017 first round pick. Although he was regarded as an upgrade compared to Nurkic, Plumlee didn’t justify it. While Nurkic shined in the Blazers jersey, helping them overcome Nuggets in the direct fight for the playoff spot, Plumlee wasn’t as flashy as Nuggets hoped him to be. During his tenure with the Nuggets, Plumlee played 24 games, starting 10 of them. He averaged 23.4 minutes per game contributing 9.1 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game on average.
While Plumlee is a solid player, who will be a great backup center for Nugget’s rising star Nikola Jokic, it is surprising that Denver agreed to pay him this much money. The only way he can justify this money is if he can co-exist with Jokic, something Nurkic wasn’t able to do.
