Mike Mazzeo, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Teams inquiring about Mason Plumlee

Teams have begun inquiring about the availability of Brooklyn Nets big man Mason Plumlee, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein tweeted Wednesday.

Plumlee is coming off an up-and-down sophomore campaign. After being named to the All-Rookie first team in 2013-14 and playing for Team USA over the summer, the 25 year old got off to a rough start in 2014-15. In late November, Nets coach Lionel Hollins challenged Plumlee to play better, and the second-year pro responded with a strong December and January.

It was in December that the Sacramento Kings also approached the Nets about a possible blockbuster trade: Deron Williams and Plumlee in exchange for Darren Collison, Derrick Williams and Jason Thompson (and, perhaps, Nik Stauskas).

But with Plumlee playing his best basketball of the season, the Nets said no. In the six games before trade talks between the two teams cooled, Plumlee averaged 18 points and 10.2 rebounds.

But his strong play didn’t last. Brook Lopez got healthy, and Kevin Garnett, Plumlee’s mentor, was shipped to Minnesota at the trade deadline for Thaddeus Young.

Plumlee’s role began to diminish, and his production dipped as a result. Before the All-Star break, Plumlee averaged 10.3 points on 59.0 percent shooting and 7.0 rebounds in 23.4 minutes; after, his numbers fell to 6.0 PPG on 52.6 percent shooting, 5.0 RPG in 17.5 MPG.

Plumlee played well alongside Garnett  but was never able to thrive next to Lopez. In 373 minutes together during the regular season, the Plumlee-Lopez duo was outscored by 13.7 points per 100 possessions.

In Brooklyn’s first-round playoff series against Atlanta, Plumlee played just 49 minutes.

Nets general manager Billy King was asked why Plumlee may have regressed during his end-of-the-season news conference.

“I don’t know why,” King responded. “I think he started out pretty good, played well and Brook wasn’t playing as well. And then Brook came back and played pretty well and Mason’s minutes went down. And players sometimes lose confidence as you start playing when your minutes aren’t as frequent. I still think he’s a young player we can’t give up on. I think he’s even committed to playing in the summer league for us at different times (this offseason). So he understands he’s going to be a part of this team going forward.”

Plumlee has some nice tools. He can play above the rim. He’s improved as a rebounder. And he gives his all on the floor. But can he thrive with the Nets? Or might his style of play be better suited for another team?

While King and the rest of us fret over those questions, Plumlee will be in Vietnam, according to his Instagram account.

Notes: The Nets will host pre-draft workouts June 1-3 at their East Rutherford, New Jersey, practice facility. Among the players they will be taking a look will be point guards Terry Rozier (Louisville) and Quinn Cook (Duke). Brooklyn will select 29th in the June 25 draft. ESPN Insider Chad Ford has the Nets taking Rozier in his latest mock draft. ... The Philadelphia 76ers announced Thursday that they will face the Nets in an Oct. 10 preseason game in Albany, N.Y.

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