"He's here for the long-term,": Nuggets planning to re-sign Mason Plumlee this summer

DENVER — In trading for Mason Plumlee, a transaction that was made official Monday, the Nuggets successfully went into the wasteland that is the trade market and came out with a deal that not only helps Denver win now, but doesn’t mortgage the future of the franchise by taking back an enormous salary or sending out valuable assets.

Bringing in Plumlee, and also a 2018 second-round pick, for Jusuf Nurkic and the Grizzlies’ 2017 first round pick, shows that Denver is serious about getting better and is not looking to continuing to build through the draft any longer.

The big question mark around this deal is the restricted free agent status that Plumlee brings with him. Is this just a trade to secure the eighth seed this season and use Plumlee as a rental, or is there something bigger going on?

“The deal was not done just for today. It was done for the years going forward,” Tim Connelly said. “We think having his restricted rights and having the ability for him to get to know him and for him to get to know us was important. We looked at our free agent board and he was a guy we circled early in the process and, quite frankly, we did not feel confident that we could get him without a move like this.”

Denver has wanted Plumlee for quite some time. They feel his workmanlike mentality and unselfishness fits into the culture the Nuggets are trying to build. Plumlee is known as a gym rat and a tireless worker. Damian Lillard, Plumlee’s former teammate, even went as far to say that Plumlee is the greatest teammate he has ever had at any level of basketball. Connelly shot down any worry that Plumlee would be hesitant to accept a bench role after starting 54 games with Portland this year.

“From all accounts, he is 100 percent team guy and that is up to coach Malone,” Connelly said. “I don’t think it’s starting or not starting. I think it’s more about minutes and being a heavy rotation guy. I think we have a team full of talented guys, a lot of guys who could start elsewhere but have bought in and I am sure that Mason puts winning above all else and whatever Malone thinks is the best to pursue he will be great with.”

The Nuggets’ front office seems to think that they have found a puzzle piece that fits perfectly with the current core group of players and, being that Plumlee is still just 26-years-old, he fits the timeline as well. The Nuggets have been brash in how boldly they have talked about wanting to keep Plumlee in Denver and he has yet to even suit up for the Nuggets. Trading for Plumlee is a long-term play in the eyes of Denver’s front office.

“This trade was not made solely for the next 25 games,” said Connelly. “I think he is a guy that when you look at the free agent class, when you look at who has money to spend or when you look at our team needs: A vertical threat. Size. Positioning behind Nikola and potentially next to Nikola, you would be hard-pressed to find a better fit.”

To say that the Nuggets are excited about the addition of Plumlee would be an understatement. Denver has the money to re-sign the 26-year-old if they see fit and even get the chance to take a test run with him on the team before making the decision to shell out substantial money to a backup center. This move represents a shift towards building towards the playoffs and around Nikola Jokic, and Plumlee is a piece that compliments the Nuggets’ starting center well.

“He’s here for the long-term,” Connelly said. “What is great about restricted rights and having a ton of money is that it is up to us to keep him. So I think he is a guy who can add to an already strong young core.”