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The Mason Plumlee Question

By Mathew Huff

Apr 2, 2017; Miami, FL, USA; Denver Nuggets center Mason Plumlee (24) slam dunks against Miami Heat forward Willie Reed (35) during the first half at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 2, 2017; Miami, FL, USA; Denver Nuggets center Mason Plumlee (24) slam dunks against Miami Heat forward Willie Reed (35) during the first half at the American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 7, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center Mason Plumlee (24) in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets center Mason Plumlee (24) in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

With Mason Plumlee being a restricted free agent, there are many questions that arise from this situation.

The Denver Nuggets pulled a trigger on, let’s just say a very controversial trade that got them Mason Plumlee from the Portland Trail Blazers. Of course, everyone knows this is what sent Jusuf Nurkic to Portland where he just happened to start playing great. Very suspiciously I might add.

However, what is done is done. Looking forward, the Nuggets will have to make a decision on Plumlee’s future as a Denver Nugget. This summer, Plumlee is a restricted free agent. For those who are wondering, a restricted free agent is essentially a player who can look at other deals, but their current team can match said offer in order to retain him.

Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets /

Denver Nuggets

Now, there are both pros and cons of retaining him. The pros of keeping Plumlee are that Denver gets to keep a good passing big man who can still facilitate the offense. His personality also seems to fit in the Mile High.

The cons are that Denver would be prevented from creating extra cap space for themselves by matching offers for him. If the offer gets high enough, the Nuggets will not be able to go after a star or at least a defensive weapon to help make the next step. This season, Plumlee earned a base salary of $2,328,530 according to spotrac.com. Next year, his qualifying contract for both the cap hit and his base salary will be at $3,371,712.  In the long run, this could really hinder Denver’s progress and as a result, they are stuck with another offensive minded big man who is a below average rim protector.

This means that Denver is going to have to decide whether they want to bolster their weakness and risk missing out of some key free agents while losing Plumlee in the process. Or, they are going to have to keep the faith in Plumlee and hope that they can somehow formulate a winning formula with a heavy dose of offense and little defense similar to what the Rockets have accomplished.

Either way, this summer will be interesting for Mason Plumlee.

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