Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers swapped their center. The Nuggets acquired Mason Plumlee and second-round draft picks, while Trail Blazers had Jusuf Nurkic and Nuggets’ 2017 first-round draft picks.
The trade, as reported by ESPN, has given the Blazers opportunity to get three first-round picks in 2017 NBA Draft. With the trade of center Plumlee, they acquired the top-five picks from Memphis which was originally obtained from Memphis Grizzlies.
Nurkic was selected by Chicago Bulls in the 2014 NBA Draft as 16th overall pick which was later traded to Denver Nuggets. He was the first option for Denver Nuggets in center position before being replaced by Nikola Jokic who has similar playing style, but more productive in scoring. The Nuggets decided to trade Nurkic for another big man who has different characteristics..
The trade is a winning move for Nuggets, according to CBS Sports. Despite his scoring skills, Jokic is still a young and inexperienced player. While Plumlee is a skilled and versatile center who is equally strong in both end of the court.
Plumlee will give a depth in the Nuggets and will assure the team to maintain its playoffs track. Denver Nuggets currently have the 24-30 record, but they stay strong at the 8th position in the Western Conference.
As for Portland, they desperately need a big man with a defensive trait to fortify their low-post defensive end. Nurkic is not an excellent scorer like Plumlee, but he is a good rim protector and has a tight discipline in the low-post defense.
Having Nurkic in the roster will allow two high scorers of the Trail Blazers, C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard to focus on attacking opponent’s rim from the outside. Although Nurkic may not be as efficient to provide screen for both guards like Plumlee, but he can improve Trail Blazers defensive efficiency. The Trail Blazers are currently at the 27th position from the 30 teams, allowing their opponents to score 110.1 points in average in 100 possessions.
Watch the report about Plumlee and Nurkic Trade from the The Oregonian below:
