The Cleveland Cavaliers were mentioned as a team that’s reportedly considering pursuing a trade for Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond. Here’s why that wouldn’t be a good idea.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a squad that’s seemingly ripe for a few trades in coming weeks.
The trade deadline is set for February 6 and based on several reports regarding the team’s relationship with Kevin Love, who appears to want out, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on his podcast, “The Hoop Collective,” I imagine the clock is ticking for Love’s tenure in Cleveland.
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Love clearly showed remorse for his actions in his media availability on Tuesday, and it seems that going forward, he and the Cavaliers will at least have an amicable relationship in the rest of his tenure with the Wine and Gold.
That being said, I’d fully expect that Love, though he is pricey to move as he will still have $91.5 million left on his contract following this season, as Windhorst realistically alluded to, as was referenced by Sports Illustrated‘s Sam Amico, is eventually moved by the upcoming deadline. If that isn’t the case, near the 2020 NBA Draft or in the free agency period would seem to be likely, at any rate.
Switching gears, according to a recent report from ESPN’s Bobby Marks (subscription required), the Cleveland Cavaliers are considering pursuing a trade for Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond.
Drummond is a two-time All-Star, currently leads the NBA in rebounding with 15.9 boards per outing, as noted by NBA.com, and has led the Association in total rebounding three times in his career.
His presence on the interior often deters shots near the rim from opponents, and Drummond’s size at 6-foot-10, 279 pounds often carves out space for perimeter pieces such as Luke Kennard, Bruce Brown Jr. and Derrick Rose to get downhill or get favorable switchouts.
Nonetheless, the Cavaliers should not pursue a trade for Drummond because of the uncertainty involved with him.
The Cavaliers would be able to offer a fifth year in a $190 million max contract if they were to trade for Drummond (that number was projected based on Drummond’s previous salary cap number and this year’s salary cap by Piston Powered’s Aaron Ferguson) due to them theoretically having his Bird rights if he opted out of his nearly $28.8 player option for next season, sure. Anyhow, with it appearing that he will pursue free agency as Ferguson noted, I’d still be skeptical of Drummond wanting to be in Cleveland in a rebuilding situation.
He’s coming up on his prime years, and could, as Ferguson noted, still pursue a four-year, $140 million deal with a different club, feasibly one such as the Atlanta Hawks, who have a terrific young point guard in Trae Young and likely would still have several other solid young pieces post-trade and have cap space to boot, and are rumored to have shown interest in Drummond, per Marks.
Anyway, the Cavaliers are clearly in the early stages of a lengthy rebuild, and I couldn’t blame Drummond, who is 26, if he didn’t want to stick around if he were traded to Cleveland by the 2020 deadline.
In a potential deal for Drummond, the Cavaliers would feasibly have to send out an expiring piece along the lines of Tristan Thompson and realistically Collin Sexton, and I’d imagine Detroit, who is 13-24 and should enter asset accumulation mode, would want a future first-round pick attached as well.
Now the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2022 first-round pick, which Cleveland has, could be involved, but I’d still rather Cleveland not be throwing in a future first for a deal involving a player that could realistically leave after two months, along with Sexton, or potentially Darius Garland, as Ferguson suggested.
Along with that, Drummond has not made any real postseason noise in his career to this point, and though it’s unfortunate for him and Detroit that Blake Griffin has been in large part injured, and is considering having season-ending knee surgery, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes, I don’t see acquiring Drummond as being a logical move for Cleveland.
Drummond is putting up a Detroit-best 17.4 points per game, according to NBA.com, he’s a really good rolling/lob presence that gets a bunch of putbacks and his passing vision has improved over the last few years (though he’s turnover-prone).
Drummond is not close to as effective in terms of switching out on to perimeter players defensively as Thompson is, though, and because Drummond is zero as a shooting threat, I don’t see how that his presence would drastically accelerate the Cavs’ rebuild.
Furthermore, the Cleveland-Kevin Love situation appears to be very far-gone, and the egg-timer seems to be ticking on that relationship.
Coupled with that, considering Drummond would be at best-case scenario for him, aligned with another injury-prone big in Love, who at this point probably offers less impact than Griffin when both are healthy, I don’t see Drummond buying in long-term even if that’s an option with the Cavs.
Cleveland can’t risk giving up feasibly Sexton or perhaps Garland along with seemingly at least one future first-rounder for a player who has previously expressed how he wants to enter 2020 free agency at a shootout event this past summer in Connecticut he’s been going to for a very long time, of which Ferguson referenced.
Heck, I’d rather Cleveland keep Thompson on a relatively team-friendly deal and keep developing Sexton/Garland, even if that means Sexton has to eventually move to a bench role, as our own Tyler Marling recently suggested, and/or simply trade Henson in a different deal that could help acquire a future draft pick, than pursue a trade for a complete non-floor spacer in Drummond that is far from a franchise changer in Cleveland’s case.
Yes, the Cavaliers need to acquire rim protection in the next few years for head coach John Beilein and company. I’d rather that come from a likely high 2020 NBA Draft selection come June, however, and a big that can provide some floor-spacing capability at least or a more well-rounded option as a capable mid-range shooter in the short roll.
Dayton’s Obi Toppin or James Wiseman, previously of Memphis (but reportedly withdrew from school to focus on the upcoming draft as our own Corey Casey hit on), would make for a much younger and much cheaper alternative for Cleveland general manager Koby Altman in a clear rebuilding scenario focused on progression of young pieces.
The addition of Drummond wouldn’t vault the Cleveland Cavaliers even into a clear postseason berth at any point, so I’ll pass on a Cavs’ pursuit of him.
That’s even more so the case with Drummond realistically leaving/signing elsewhere after the end of the 2019-20 season.