Andre Drummond is truly a basketball enigma. He appears to be the most slandered player in the NBA right now and that might not change until he isn't associated with the wine and gold any longer. Where ever you get your sports takes, you can be sure to find your fair share of opinions regarding Drummond. There are the criticisms of Cleveland's decision to trade for him. There are the "Andre Drummond is better than Jarret Allen." takes. There are also those of us who are of the opinion that if you can trade for a two-time all-star for almost nothing (John Henson, Brandon Knight) than you should kick the tires on it. The Pistons needed to rid themselves of Drummond's massive price tag and Cleveland got the chance to buy low so why not?
Why did the Cavs even trade for him?
That is a fairly easy question to answer. Cleveland was at a point in the 2019-2020 season in which they were flush with enough assets to take a flier on a talented albeit flawed player whose value was diminished and could maybe just maybe fit their rebuilding timeline. It didn't hurt that he sported a resume that included four rebounding titles and an All-NBA nod. The Cavs had a roster full of bigs such as Larry Nance Jr, Kevin Love, and Tristan Thompson, who couldn't necessarily protect the rim. Thompson in particular who was the Cavaliers longest tenured player at the time and wasn't exactly known for being a rim deterrent (career 0.7 BLKs per game) was in his final year of an extension. Love's best days were already behind him, and Nance Jr. isn't a true center.
The Cavs also had recently moved on from yet another failure at the head coaching position in John Beilein for assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff. A switch in the midst of a season meant a culture change for a roster full of players who desperately needed stability in order to develop properly. The experiment seemed to work at first. With Drummond locked in at Center the Cavs went 4-4 in his 8 starts with a slash line of 17.5 pts | 11.1 rebs | 1.8 ast. And....then the Corona virus pandemic hit the world and all basketball activities ceased until an NBA bubble was opened with playoff contenders invited to participate. That meant at 19-46, the Cavaliers would not be invited. None the less Cleveland, like all other non-playoff participants, would have to wait until the start of the 2020-21 season to play any meaningful games. Fast-forward to this season, Cleveland surprised many people and started out a 3-0 and went 6-7 before the acquisition of Jarrett Allen. He appeared to be playing well with perhaps no game showcasing that more than a Jan. 15 matchup with the New York Knicks, a game in which Drummond dominated:
What went wrong?
Thats a bit more complicated. Drummond and the Cavs were reportedly having contract extension discussions but couldn't come to an agreement that worked for both sides. That was strike one. The Cavs then saw an opportunity to jump into the blockbuster trade that was James Harden to Brooklyn. A trade which included backup PG Dante Exum and a second rounder for the services of Jarrett Allen. That was strike two. Drummond saw the writing on the wall and his play on the court became increasingly erratic as the signs of him checking out mentally were evident. That was strike three, Drummond was out. From a player standpoint, you can somewhat understand the big man's attitude in regards to how the franchise now views him. He seemed to make a commitment to Cleveland by picking up his player option for $28,751,775. That could also be viewed conversely as a smart decision by him because teams aren't ponying up for back-to-the basket bigs. To play devil's advocate, he could've taken the trade in stride and make the Cavs understand that he should be part of their long term plans through his play on the court and a positive attitude.
What's next?
Drummond is still just 27 years old, and his statline this season suggest that he can still be a highly serviceable player in the right setting. Players just don't roll out of bed and score 17.5 points and grab 11.1 rebounds by chance. He is very skilled at what he does best and what he does best is score in the post, grab rebounds, and rim protect. He could potentially thrive on a team that values these strengths and wouldn't force him into a role of leadership. The Lakers pose an interesting fit for Drummond considering that they are led by the superstar duo of Lebron James and Anthony Davis. With the trade of Javale McGee to Cleveland and letting Dwight Howard walk in free agency, Los Angeles gave way to Marc Gasol. While Gasol hasn't been bad thus far, Drummond would be a substantial upgrade and give the lakers a true big three. Another team that keeps popping up in the old rumor mill is the Brooklyn Nets who traded Jarrett Allen to Cleveland ironically. Brooklyn just added former all-star PF Blake Griffin and aren't exactly talent starved considering the fact that they now house the most dangerous big three in the league in Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden. Neither of these teams can facilitate a trade so if they are able to obtain the services of Drummond it will be through the buyout market.
Cleveland on the other hand have found their Center of the future and are poised to move on from Andre Drummond and will either try to find a trade partner before the deadline or buy him of out his contract. They will move forward knowing that they gave it a shot and it didn't workout. For Cavs fans who feel that this was a colossal failure, just try to keep in mind that not all trades work and that Cleveland bought very low on Drummond in the first place. The organization is clearly moving in the right direction and there is so much optimism surrounding this team right now. Jarrett Allen has begun to develop a very good chemistry with the Cavs young guards. He gives them a pick and roll parter who can also block shots at a high rate. He is a building franchise building block and gives the team one less position to worry about in their rebuild. In case you needed a reminder of just exactly what the Cavs got, here you go:
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