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Brooklyn Nets trade Mason Plumlee to Blazers for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Steve Blake

By Tom Lorenzo
Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Brooklyn Nets second-year big man Mason Plumlee has said goodbye to Brooklyn. During the second round of Thursday night's NBA Draft. It had been rumored that the Nets were looking to shop Plumlee, who started in place of an injured Brook Lopez, but then regressed as Lopez returned to form.

The Nets, however, made two picks without Plumlee being moved. That was, until a Woj Bomb happened.

Pat Connaughton had been selected by the Nets with the 41st pick in the Draft, just minutes before Woj tweeted the deal.

"Trading Mason was tough," King said. "He gave us a lot in the two years he was here. But in looking at Rondae’s defensive ability, and trying to get athletic on the wing position, I thought it was something we needed."

"From watching him play, that’s what he does," King said. "He loves to play defense."

Key to the trade, which became official after midnight Friday, was Hollis-Jefferson, who seemed happy to be close to his hometown of Chester, PA.

"When they told me, I thought they were kidding," Hollis-Jefferson said of the trade. "I thought they were joking, and then they said, ‘Take the hat off.’

“It went well,” he said of his interview with the Nets. “Me being a personable guy, charismatic, all those things, it helps in those type of settings having people be able to talk to you and comfortable with talking to you makes things a lot easier.”

When asked if he had a message for Nets fans, Hollis-Jefferson was ready. “Look out Brooklyn, here I come,” he said. “You can’t hide, you can’t run. I’m coming, baby!”

“It went well,” he said. “Me being a personable guy, charismatic, all those things, it helps in those type of settings having people be able to talk to you and comfortable with talking to you makes things a lot easier.”

And so when asked if he had a message for the fans, Hollis-Jefferson didn’t hold back. In fact, he answered with a brief, freestyle rap of sorts.

“Look out Brooklyn, here I come,” he said. “You can’t hide, you can’t run. I’m coming, baby!”

- See more at: http://blog.northjersey.com/nets/2268/nets-trade-for-hollis-jefferson/#sthash.H8LRZais.dpuf

. Before the deal was announced, our good friends over at Blazers Edge describe him this way:

Hollis-Jefferson is a powerful defender and fantastic transition player who averaged 10.9 points and 6.8 rebounds last season for the Wildcats as a sophomore.

He was First Team All-Pac-12 last season, as well as First Team All-Pac-12 All-Defensive last season as one of the premier wing defenders in the nation.  He averaged almost a steal and a half a game, as well as one block per game, leading Arizona's strong defensive unit.

Here's Chad Ford on Hollis-Jefferson (when he was selected by the Blazers):

Hollis-Jefferson is my sleeper of the draft. He's an elite wing defender who can guard up to four positions. He has a great motor, is an elite athlete and has some playmaking ability. He can't shoot and that's an issue. But he does everything else at a high level. He's got a little Andre Iguodala in him. I love this pick for the Blazers. With Nicolas Batum gone, I think he's a great fit at the 3 for the Blazers.

"I bring a lot of intensity, energy, athleticism," Hollis-Jefferson said. "Just the things that teams need, that spark off the bench or if I do start, whatever the case may be. All teams need that extraness."

Plumlee thanked the Brooklyn fans for his two seasons with the Nets.

It would appear that the Trail Blazers made the moved based on the likelihood they will lose LaMarcus Aldridge this summer.

The addition of Steve Blake, 35, might be the end of Jarrett Jack's tenure in Brooklyn. And of course, on a more serious note by trading Plumlee, this is a strong indicator of the Nets' confidence in re-signing Brook Lopez.  Blake, 35, has a year left on his expiring deal at $2.17 million. The 6'3" point guard averaged 4.3 points in 81 games off the bench for the Trail Blazers this past season, hitting 35.2 percent of his three-pointers.

In addition to Plumlee, the Nets had been in talks with teams about Bojan Bogdanovic, with some rumors suggesting the Nets were going to deal him to Washington at No. 19 for the rights to Jerian Grant, the big Notre Dame point guard.  But the Knicks swooped in and traded Tim Hardaway Jr. for Grant.

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