Philadelphia 76ers should pursue Mason Plumlee via trade
There’s been little doubt about the dominance of Joel Embiit this season. However, this year the backup center position hasn’t been at its strongest. It’s clear that the Philadelphia 76ers need a legit backup center.
The Philadelphia 76ers need to trade for a legitimate backup center.
Montrezl Harrell is the primary backup and while he’s had his good moments, he’s also had his bad. He’s averaging just 5.8 points and 2.8 rebounds, well below the career averages of the former Sixth Man of the Year award winner. It also doesn’t help that he’s been a non-factor offensively.
Then Philly has Paul Reed who in theory has the skills to be a solid backup, but head coach Doc Rivers has made it clear that he prefers to play Harrell over the third-year backup. As a result, it’s going to be hard to rely on Reed due to his lack of playing time.
That’s where Mason Plumlee comes in. I mentioned him in my last article as a potential target. Plumlee is a solid two-way center, being a rim runner offensively and a rim protector on defense. He might not have the “wow” factor as a starter, but he’d arguably become the best backup that Embiid has ever had.
This season for the Charlotte Hornets, he’s averaging a career-high 12.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. However, Charlotte is in a rebuild and at 32 years old, Plumlee doesn’t fit their timeline.
Philly probably won’t be the only time interested in his services if the Hornets make him available, but the deal below could make things interesting.
I’m not going to lie, this is similar to the trade that Christopher Kline proposed. However, this trade allows the money to line up better and for the Hornets to get more fair value for their starting center in terms of draft picks.
The Sixers get a backup center with veteran experience who is able to stay on the court in a playoff series. Charlotte gets a young floor spacing wing in Furkan Korkmaz who’s made it known he wants out of Philly. Danuel House Jr. is there to make the money work and they also get two second round picks, one of which is projected to be their own.
Like the trade for the Philadelphia 76ers in this article? Comment below with your thoughts below.
