Brooklyn Nets should trade Mason Plumlee

The Brooklyn Nets will may be looking to move up in upcoming NBA Draft, as they currently hold the 29^th pick in the draft.

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If it wasn’t for the Joe Johnson trade a few years back, the Nets would have the 15^th pick in the draft, which would have given them a much better player. The Nets do have the ability to move up in the NBA Draft with their first-round pick, and one of their young players. The Nets have made it very clear that Brook Lopez isn’t going anywhere, as they intend to lock him up.

What the likely signing of Lopez means is that Mason Plumlee once again becomes the odd man out.

When Lopez missed a majority of the 2013-14 season, it was Mason Plumlee who did most of the filling in as a rookie. Plumlee was a first-round pick by the Nets, and he has shown great athleticism for a big man.

In his rookie season, Plumlee averaged 7.4 points, and 4.4 rebounds per game. Scoring the basketball, Plumlee was very efficient, as he had a 65.9% field goal percentage. Plumlee’s offensive game doesn’t drift far from the basket, but he knows what his limitations are and avoids them.

Last season, Plumlee’s averages went up due to a great start to the season. In the 2014-15 season, Plumlee averaged 8.7 points and 6.2 rebounds. Plumlee once again made the most of Lopez missing a little time last season, but he wasn’t able to totally win the job from the talented Lopez.

Nets’ head coach Lionel Hollins tried to use Plumlee and Lopez together, which was quickly scrapped as it was a total disaster.

Plumlee was averaging nearly 30 minutes per game in December and January, but as the season went on, Plumlee’s playing time disappeared.

After the Nets fleeced the Minnesota Timberwolves for forward Thaddeus Young, Plumlee struggled even more to find playing time.

Young is a more versatile and polished offensive player than Plumlee, and Young and Lopez instantly found success playing together. The Nets have the intentions of also keeping Young for next season to continue to play him alongside Lopez.

With a desire to move up in the NBA Draft to add some new young talent, trading Plumlee makes a lot of sense. A package of Plumlee and the Nets’ first-round pick may be able to get the Nets either into the Top 15, or very close to that.

Plumlee has proven that he is more than capable of playing at the NBA level, but with a new contract likely coming for Brook Lopez, Plumlee has become expendable for the Nets.

Next: Is Jason Kidd trying to sign Brook Lopez?

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