Brooklyn Traded Mason Plumlee for Hollis-Jefferson and Blake
On the night of the June 25, 2015 NBA draft, Brooklyn traded center Mason Plumlee and the rights to No. 41 Pat Connaughton to Portland. The Nets received veteran point guard Steve Blake and rights to No. 23 Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. Nets general manager Billy King confirmed all four assets in an official release. Portland needed a young athletic center as it reorganized around Damian Lillard, while Brooklyn wanted a defense-first wing prospect. The transfer was not a single straight player trade; Connaughton and Hollis-Jefferson were freshly drafted rights. The pick numbers mattered because Brooklyn gave up an established NBA center plus a later second-round prospect to obtain a mid-first-round athlete and veteran contract.
Plumlee Was an Immediate Starting Center in Portland
Plumlee started all 82 Trail Blazers games during 2015-16, averaging 9.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists, and helped Portland reach the Western Conference semifinals. His passing from the center position and interior defense gave the team a functional frontcourt alongside its young guards. Connaughton developed more gradually in Portland and later became a dependable perimeter role player with other NBA clubs. The direct first-year value was dominated by Plumlee, who played a full season as the starting big man. The inherited Blazers Win label therefore has a strong practical rationale even with equal C+ grades assigned to both franchises. Portland did not keep Plumlee forever, moving him later to Denver in another transaction, but the starting center return was substantial.
Hollis-Jefferson Became a Nets Defensive Regular
Hollis-Jefferson remained with Brooklyn and eventually developed into a regular starting defensive forward, providing steals, rebounding and frontcourt versatility. His rookie season was interrupted by injury, making his immediate playing impact smaller than that of Plumlee in Portland. Blake was moved again to Detroit in July 2015 for Quincy Miller, so he contributed no lasting Brooklyn playing tenure. The Nets therefore obtained a young defensive prospect and a briefly held veteran trade asset, not an established starting center. Their C+ grade reflects potential and later useful defense from Hollis-Jefferson. Portland gained more immediate NBA minutes and later had Connaughton available for development. The teams placed different values on present center production and longer-term wing growth, explaining the inherited winner label.
Final Verdict
Blazers Win in the inherited verdict, though both clubs grade C+. Portland received Mason Plumlee, who started all 82 games at 9.1 points and 7.7 rebounds in 2015-16, plus Pat Connaughton rights. Brooklyn got Rondae Hollis-Jefferson rights and Steve Blake, who was subsequently traded again.