Mason Plumlee Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Faried, Kaman, Snyder

October 3rd, 2015 at 3:09pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Kenneth Faried acknowledged that the Nuggets trade of Ty Lawson to the Rockets is just part of the business of basketball, but he was still stung by it due to his close friendship with the point guard, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post relays. When asked about the trade, Faried said, “Basketball. Nature of the beast. I’m not part of the business side I’m part of the playing side. I just want to get up-and-down and play the game. It hurt me because that was my best friend but it’s the nature of the beast. You’ve got to live with it.”

Here’s more from the Northwest:

Mason Plumlee says he has learned a lot from veteran big man Chris Kaman in the short time that they have been teammates with the Trail Blazers, Mike Richman of The Oregonian writes. “The guys who are here 10-plus years in the NBA are here because they help the young guys,” Plumlee said of Kaman. “Here’s very good, he’s helpful, he knows what coach [Terry] Stotts wants so he’s been great.” Plumlee was acquired by Portland back in June.
Jazz coach Quin Snyder enters his second season with the team a bit more relaxed than his he was during his rookie campaign, and he aims to try and be less intense with his players this season, Jody Genessy of The Deseret News writes. “The course of the season and our team and how we play will dictate that as much as anything,” Snyder said, obviously making no hard promises regarding his future demeanor.
One of the problems facing the Timberwolves as they enter the preseason is that most of their big men are power forwards who will be tasked with manning the center position, Marcus R. Fuller of The Pioneer Press writes. Kevin Garnett, a power forward by trade, won’t be thrilled if he has to spend prolonged time in the pivot, Fuller adds. “I still hate the center position,” Garnett said. “I’m 235, 240 [pounds]. Guys who play the center … DeAndre Jordan is 275, 280. That’s outweighing me by 40 pounds. But what I don’t make up in weight, I make up in heart and [expletive].”As for interim coach Sam Mitchell‘s plan for the rotation at the five spot, he said, “I’ve got an idea in my mind. But until we get out on the floor and actually watch them play a little bit, then we’ll start to formulate those opinions.”

Blazers Opt In With McCollum, Plumlee, Vonleh

September 30th, 2015 at 12:54pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Trail Blazers have exercised their rookie scale team options for the 2016/17 season with C.J. McCollum, Mason Plumlee and Noah Vonleh, the team announced (Twitter link). The moves keep all three under contract for that season at a combined cost of nearly $8.3MM.

McCollum, 24, is enthusiastic about the expanded role he’s poised to take on this season after playing mostly on the fringe of Portland’s rotation his first two NBA seasons. The former 10th overall pick showed plenty of potential during the playoffs, when he averaged 17.0 points in 33.2 minutes per game for the injury-riddled Blazers. He’ll be eligible for an extension next summer, since 2016/17 is the last on his rookie scale contract. The exercised option means the Blazers will pay him $3,219,579 for that 2016/17 season.

The 25-year-old Plumlee arrived via trade this summer from Brooklyn, where he went in an out of favor with the Nets, who reportedly resisted trading him in a deal that would have sent Deron Williams to the Kings last winter before burying him on the bench for the playoffs and ultimately dealing him to Portland. The 22nd overall pick in 2013 had a breakout performance for Team USA in the 2014 offseason, and he figures to have the opportunity to shine on a largely depleted Blazers roster. Like McCollum, he’ll be extension-eligible next summer in advance of the final year on his deal, one in which he’ll make $2,328,530.

Vonleh is another offseason trade acquisition for the Blazers, who brought the 20-year-old in after his quiet rookie season for the Hornets. He saw action in only 25 games last year, notching 10.4 minutes per night, after becoming the ninth overall pick in 2014. He’ll compete with Plumlee and others for playing time in the frontcourt. The Blazers, who are now in line to pay him $2,751,360 in 2016/17, will again have a decision to make on a rookie scale option for him next summer, and he won’t be eligible for an extension until 2017.

Today’s moves give Portland nearly $44.5MM against a projected $89MM cap for next summer. That’s only slightly less than the almost $47.9MM the team has in guaranteed salary for this season, so the Blazers continue to have a wealth of flexibility.

Which of McCollum, Plumlee and Vonleh do you see having the best career? Leave a comment to tell us.

And-Ones: Looney, Koponen, Plumlee

June 27th, 2015 at 11:20am CST by Eddie Scarito

The Trail Blazers were extremely high on Arizona swingman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, but could not pass on adding a starting-caliber player like Mason Plumlee, whom the team acquired from the Nets in exchange for Hollis Jefferson and Steve Blake, Mike Richman of The Oregonian writes. “We really like Rondae. He’s a terrific young player,” Blazers president of basketball operations Neil Olshey said. “But we just felt like, based on some of the moves we have to make [and] some of the uncertainly regarding some of our unrestricted free agents, the opportunity to get a dynamic young center that’s a little bit more accomplished, that we know we can put on the floor this fall, that can help you win games but still has a tremendous upside because of his age and his athleticism, it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.”

Here’s more from around the league:

The NBA is proceeding with a plan to seed playoff teams one through eight in each conference regardless of division starting with 2015/16, reports Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
The reason that talented UCLA forward Kevon Looney lasted until the Warriors nabbed him with the 30th overall pick is that he was red-flagged with a degenerative back as well as a hip issue, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress tweets. Looney may require surgery at some point in his career as a result, Givony adds.
There’s only a 10% chance that Finnish guard Petteri Koponen signs with the Mavericks this offseason, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com relays (on Twitter). Dallas holds the rights to Koponen, who was selected with the No. 30 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Blazers Acquire Mason Plumlee

June 26th, 2015 at 12:17am CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 12:17am: The trade is official, the both teams announced.

“We are very excited to add Rondae to our roster,” Nets GM Billy King said in a press release. “He is the type of athletic wing we were looking for, and we felt he was the best defensive player in the draft. I also wanted to thank Mason for his time with the Nets and wish him the best with his new team. Mason worked extremely hard from the first time he stepped on the court in training camp last year, and I am sure he will have a long and successful career.”

Technically, Hollis-Jefferson won’t formally join Brooklyn’s roster until he signs, though that should be merely a procedural step.

THURSDAY, 10:41am: The Blazers will acquire Mason Plumlee and the rights to Notre Dame shooting guard Pat Connaughton, who is the 41st overall pick, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. They’ll send the rights to No. 23 pick Rondae-Hollis Jefferson and Steve Blake to the Nets, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter links).

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

In Plumlee, the Blazers land a solid replacement should forward LaMarcus Aldridge leave Portland as is anticipated. Brooklyn was reportedly seeking a lottery pick in exchange for the 25-year-old former first rounder, so the team’s return could be considered a disappointment. While Plumlee isn’t in Aldridge’s class ability-wise, he certainly has the talent to step in as an immediate starter. He appeared in all 82 games for Brooklyn last season, averaging 8.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 21.3 minutes per night. His shooting numbers were .573/.000/.495. Plumlee is set to earn $1,415,520 next season, and his deal carries a team option worth $2,328,530 for 2016/17.

Connaughton, 22, is an exceptional athlete who possesses good shooting range. He appeared in 139 career games while at Notre Dame, averaging 10.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. His career slash line was .450/.386/.777. He was the 58th best prospect in this year’s draft according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

As for the Nets, they land Hollis-Jefferson, who is arguably the best defender in the entire draft, though there are serious concerns about his outside shot. He is a similar player to the Hornets’ Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in skillset. Last season at Arizona, Hollis-Jefferson averaged 11.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG, and 1.6 APG, with a slash line of .502/.207/.707.

In Blake, the Nets obtain a veteran point guard who can provide depth off the bench. The 35-year-old is entering the last year of his current deal, and is set to earn $2,170,465 in 2015/16. He appeared in 81 games last season, his most since the 2007/08 season, averaging 4.3 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and 3.6 APG. Blake made 35.2% of his shots from beyond the arc, but only sank 37.3% of his field goal attempts overall.

Nets Explore Bojan Bogdanovic Trades

June 25th, 2015 at 6:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nets are looking into the market for swingman Bojan Bogdanovic as they continue to try to move up in the draft, reports Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link). The team’s efforts to trade up from the 29th overall pick with Mason Plumlee attached to such a deal haven’t borne fruit, Youngmisuk adds.

That Brooklyn would at least considering trading Bogdanovic isn’t a complete shock, especially since GM Billy King said he explored trades for everyone on the roster this past season. The one-year veteran from Bosnia and Herzegovina is already 26, so he might not get much better than he already is, posits Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Bogdanovic is set to make nearly $3.426MM in the second year of a three-year deal in 2015/16.

Nets Dangle Mason Plumlee, Seek Higher Pick

June 25th, 2015 at 9:38am CST by Chuck Myron

JUNE 25TH, 9:38am: The Nets are still trying to use Plumlee to get into the lottery, sources tell Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

JUNE 23RD, 8:55pm: Brooklyn is unlikely to part with Plumlee unless it can secure a 2015 lottery pick in return, league sources have informed Stein (via Twitter).

6:57pm: The Nets continue to explore trade possibilities involving Plumlee in advance of the draft, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.

JUNE 15TH, 3:37pm: The Nets are trying to trade Mason Plumlee to further their goal of landing a higher draft pick than the ones they have at 29th and 41st overall, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, responding to a NetsDaily tweet that posed the question of whether the Nets should trade Plumlee. Brooklyn’s desire to keep Plumlee derailed a proposal that would have sent Deron Williams to Sacramento this past season, as multiple reports made clear, but circumstances have changed for the 25-year-old big man, as Bondy detailed in May.

Some executives from teams around the league figured that Brooklyn would come to this point after the trade-deadline acquisition of Thaddeus Young and the resurgence of center Brook Lopez reduced Plumlee’s role, as Marc Stein and Mike Mazzeo reported a few weeks ago. Opposing teams had begun to inquire about Plumlee’s availability, as Stein added at the time. Lopez and Young aren’t necessarily locks to return, with Lopez possessing a player option and Young an early termination option, though Nets GM Billy King has made it clear that retaining both is a priority.

King said early last month that he explored trading everyone on the roster at some point last season, and in the same press conference, he said that the team will indeed try to trade up in the draft, as it’s often done in years past. King cautioned that he preferred not to deal away future draft assets to do so, leaving cash and current players as more likely trade bait.

Plumlee, whom the Nets mined with the 22nd overall pick two years ago, has two more years left on his rookie scale contract, which pays him slightly less than $1.416MM next season. That would make him a bargain with the kind of production he displayed in the first half of the season, when he averaged 10.3 points and 7.0 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per game coming off a summer with Team USA. Those numbers dropped to 6.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG and 17.5 MPG in the season’s second half.

Atlantic Notes: Mudiay, Bass, Daniels

May 27th, 2015 at 6:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

With the Knicks owning the No. 4 overall pick this June, numerous mock drafts have the franchise slated to select Emmanuel Mudiay at that slot. Even though New York appears intent on continuing to implement the triangle offense, Mudiay’s presence could make the team run more pick-and-roll plays, which is something the young guard excels at, ESPN.com’s Fran Fraschilla opines. “You know that the organization is married to the triangle, but we also know that when the clock went low in Chicago and Los Angeles they gave the ball to Michael [Jordan] and Kobe Bryant and got out of the way. So if there are ways to use Mudiay in isolation and pick-and-roll, it would be to his benefit because it’s one of his strengths,” Fraschilla said. “It would have to be some adjustment on the part of the coaching staff to put him in more pick-and-roll.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Unrestricted free agent Brandon Bass said he is open to returning to the Celtics, but wants to go to a team that will make him feel wanted, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets.
Raptors 2014 second-rounder DeAndre Daniels has been working out in Toronto and could be in the mix for one of the final roster spots next season, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca notes (via Twitter). Daniels spent this past season playing in Australia.
The Sixers have a workout scheduled for Thursday with former La Salle forward Jerrell Wright, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports (Twitter link).
Teams have begun to inquire about the availability of Nets big man Mason Plumlee, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. Brooklyn GM Billy King had said earlier this month that the team looked into the idea of trading every player on the roster at some point this past season, including Plumlee.
The Celtics held workouts today for David Kravish, Bobby Portis, Jordan Mickey, Marcus Thornton, Rakeem Christmas, and Shannon Scott, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com relays (Twitter link).

Nets Notes: Jack, Plumlee, Prokhorov, D-Will

May 26th, 2015 at 10:46am CST by Chuck Myron

It’s widely assumed that the Nets will look into trading Joe Johnson and Jarrett Jack as cost-cutting alternatives to using the stretch provision to waive Deron Williams, write Marc Stein and Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com. Trade talk has swirled around Johnson off and on since December, while the Nets likely would have dealt Jack to the Wizards if they’d closed a deal on a proposal to send Brook Lopez to the Thunder, as TNT’s David Aldridge reported in the wake of the deadline. Johnson has a whopper of an expiring contract that calls for a salary of nearly $24.895MM in 2015/16, while Jack is due $6.3MM next season with a partial guarantee of just $500K on the same amount in 2016/17. Stein and Mazzeo have more on the Nets, and while the full piece is a must-read for Brooklyn diehards, we’ll pass along a few highlights here:

Some executives from opposing teams figure the Nets will explore the trade market for Mason Plumlee, too, Stein and Mazzeo hear. The Nets were reportedly unwilling to give up Plumlee in a proposal that would have sent Williams to the Kings in December, though GM Billy King said this month that the Nets looked into the idea of trading every player on the roster at some point this past season. Plumlee’s role on the team decreased after the acquisition of Thaddeus Young and the resurgence of Lopez.
People around the league continue to doubt the idea that Mikhail Prokhorov doesn’t want to sell a majority stake in the Nets, according to Stein and Mazzeo. Josh Kosman and Claire Atkinson of the New York Post reported in March that Prokhorov had ended efforts to do so while Prokhorov said the next month that he had never tried. Stein and Mazzeo cite “persistent rumbles” around the league that the reason Prokhorov isn’t actively trying to sell the team is that he would also have to sell his share of the Barclays Center as part of the deal, a detail that Daniel Kaplan and John Lombardo of SportsBusiness Journal reported in February. However, a sports banker who spoke with Kosman and Atkinson disputed that there was any such mandate that Prokhorov would have had to bundle the team and the arena.
Stein and Mazzeo figure the Nets will indeed consider waiving and stretching Williams, yet they believe Brooklyn will ultimately decide against doing so.

Latest On Brook Lopez

May 1st, 2015 at 10:19am CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 10:19am: Beck has been given every indication that the Nets will re-sign Lopez this summer (Twitter link). Mason Plumlee‘s improvement was in part behind Brooklyn’s willingness to trade Lopez earlier this season, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. The dynamic has changed since then, as the departure of mentor Kevin Garnett and Plumlee’s free-throw shooting woes have helped push the 25-year-old big man from the rotation, as Bondy details.

TUESDAY, 10:11am: The prevailing belief around the league is that Brook Lopez will opt out but re-sign with the Nets on a max deal this summer, one opposing GM tells Fred Kerber of the New York Post. The GM and other executives to whom Kerber spoke point to Brooklyn’s urgency to re-sign him, since the Nets would be unlikely to have the cap space necessary this summer to afford a replacement who’d produce at Lopez’s level if he were to leave. Lopez’s player option is worth more than $16.744MM, but he’d be eligible for a new deal with a starting salary of up to an estimated $19MM or so, depending on where the league sets the maximum salary for a player with his seven years of experience.

That maximum-salary figure won’t be released until after Lopez has to decide on the option, but projections make it clear that he stands to gain if he can indeed command a max deal. A GM who spoke to Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops suggested that Lopez was worth $16MM salaries that would fall in line with the value of his option. Most executives around the league have expected Lopez to turn down the option, Grantland’s Zach Lowe wrote a few weeks ago, though Lowe had heard the opposite early in the season, before Lopez’s sudden surge over the last couple of months. Even in December, Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck heard from many executives who expected Lopez to opt out.

Lopez said in late March that he hadn’t thought about what to do with the option, but regardless, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov made it clear earlier this month that he wants Lopez to stay, telling reporters, including Tim Bontemps of the New York Post, that, “We need him.” The return of Lopez would almost assuredly push the Nets into luxury tax territory for a fourth year in a row, meaning they’d pay repeater penalties if they didn’t get under the tax line by the end of the regular season next year, but Prokhorov indicated a willingness to shell out the extra money.

The client of Darren Matsubara and Arn Tellem has led the Nets this season in postseason scoring, with 21.3 points per game, rebounding, with 11.0 per game, and blocks, with 2.3 per game. Lopez turned 27 this month and, in spite of missing 134 games over a three-year span because of three surgeries on a broken foot, he played 72 regular season games this year. A strong majority of Hoops Rumors readers who voted in a recent poll advised Lopez to capitalize on his health and strong play and opt out.

Atlantic Notes: Robinson, Plumlee, Towns

February 27th, 2015 at 6:12pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Thomas Robinson is pleased to be a member of the struggling Sixers despite Philadelphia’s waiver claim that prevented him from joining the Nets, who currently hold the No. 8 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, on a 10-day contract, Mike Tokito of The Oregonian writes. “I was happy because the Sixers made it clear that they wanted me here,” Robinson said. “At the end of the day, I’m happy.” The forward is also glad to have the opportunity to garner playing time after failing to play in 21 of the 53 contests that he was with the Blazers this season, Tokito adds. “I’m going to play basketball,” Robinson said. “Let everything happen on its own. I’m not going to try to force nothing. I’m going to find my way to get comfortable. And then after that, everything will take care of itself.”

Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:

Sixers coach Brett Brown said that Robinson will have a chance to make his case for the team to re-sign him long-term, Tokito relays. “He fits all the things we like when we identify keepers. It’s a look that we couldn’t pass up,” Brown said. “He’s not going to have a better environment to have a legitimate chance to be a legitimate NBA player.“
The Nets‘ acquisition of Thaddeus Young has impacted the playing time of Mason Plumlee, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post writes. “Time comes from playing well,” coach Lionel Hollins said. “He just hasn’t played well in a couple games. He can’t worry about Brook [Lopez] or not playing. He just has to go out there and play. That’s the game. You have to go play, and he’s the starter and I have no plans of changing that, and he’s just got to play better.”
Duke’s Jahlil Okafor is the consensus No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft according to NBA scouts, but the Knicks may be better served to select Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns if given the choice, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv writes. Though Okafor is more polished than Towns, scouts told Zagoria that the Kentucky big man’s superior athleticism and ability to stretch the floor on offense make him an intriguing prospect who could end up being the most talented in this year’s draft.