Detroit Pistons commit $25 million to center Mason Plumlee

Mason Plumlee is leaving Denver to join the Detroit Pistons.

Detroit Pistons general manager Troy Weaver is clearly gearing up for a rebuild, and he did a nice job of setting the Pistons up for the future by getting three top-20 selections in the 2020 NBA Draft, led by No. 7 overall pick Killian Hayes. Weaver’s first free-agent signing was out of left field, as former Denver Nuggets center Mason Plumlee is headed to the Motor City.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Plumlee will sign a three-year, $25 million contract with Detroit after spending most of the last four seasons as a backup in Denver.

Mason Plumlee has bounced around the league in his career

Plumlee, a star in college at Duke, became the first ever first-round pick in Brooklyn Nets history when they added him in the 2013 NBA Draft. After moving in and out of the starting lineup for two seasons, he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in 2015 for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. The 30-year-old has averaged 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in his career.

Plumlee spent the last 3.5 seasons with the Nuggets, averaging 7.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while starting 54 contests. While Plumlee is a complete non-shooter and just an okay rebounder, his passing ability and soft touch near the rim should serve him well in what looks like an increased role in Detroit. Plumlee could start over recent trade acquisition Dewayne Dedmon, former top pick Jahlil Okafor (who Wojnarowksi claims is going to Detroit) and the team’s No. 16 overall pick from this year’s draft in Isaiah Stewart.

This looks like a very odd move at face value for Detroit, as a rebuilding team giving $25 million to a center who has been nothing more than a reliable backup throughout his career is risky, to say the least. However, if he magically finds his groove in Detroit, the Pistons might be one of the more interesting young teams in the league.