Trail Blazers GM: Trading for Mason Plumlee 'too good of an opportunity to pass up'

Hollis-Jefferson worked out for the Blazers leading up to the draft and was a player the front office had targeted, but when faced with the opportunity to land a starting caliber player like Plumlee the Portland brass couldn't say no.

"We really like Rondae. He's a terrific young player," Blazers President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey said. "But we just felt like, based on some of the moves we have to make (and) some of the uncertainly regarding some of our unrestricted free agents, the opportunity to get a dynamic young center that's a little bit more accomplished, that we know we can put on the floor this fall, that can help you win games but still has a tremendous upside because of his age and his athleticism, it was just too good of an opportunity to pass up."

Plumlee, 25, averaged 8.7 points and 6.2 rebounds in 82 games (45 starts) for the Nets last season. Olshey said that the addition of Plumlee does not signal the end of free agent Robin Lopez's tenure in Portland. However with seven free agents and 10 uncertain contracts on the roster, the Blazers future, at center and elsewhere, remains murky.

"We have a lot of business we've got to take care of," Olshey said Thursday night following the draft. "We've got double-digit free agents. We don't control all these situations. A lot of them have indicated their desire to be back in Portland, (but) it doesn't necessarily mean that we're going to be able to retain their services."