Cavs: Andre Drummond is picking up player option, to no surprise

Andre Drummond is reportedly picking up his player option on Tuesday, so is set to be back with the Cleveland Cavaliers, though we’ll see as far as how long.

For quite some time now, it’s been seemingly a foregone conclusion that Andre Drummond would eventually pick up his $28.7 million player option and would be back with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Albeit Drummond had been reportedly undecided regarding exercising that for a bit fairly recently to become an unrestricted free agent, but it still appeared too much for him to pass up.

Drummond is a two-time All-Star center, and is fresh off averaging a career-best 17.7 points per game in 2019-20, while leading the league in rebounding for the fourth time in five seasons, though.

So, in theory, there could be a bit of a reason for him to opt out, but based on the lack of teams with notable cap space this free agency period, and with Drummond not being a floor spacer in today’s league, nor being a notable playmaker, there wouldn’t appear to be nearly that player option value out there. That’s at least year-to-year for a potential offer, one would imagine.

In what was on-script, it was first reported by Marc Stein of the New York Times on Tuesday morning that Drummond is picking up his aforementioned $28.7 million player option for next season, and is set to return to the Cavaliers.

This was again, on-script, as far as what could happen from here with the Cavs/Drummond is another thing.

Drummond, in the assumed case that he’d eventually opt in, of which he did per Stein, has been rumored/reported to be a potential expiring trade piece for Cleveland.

And while he previously reported Drummond was likely to pick up his player option a few days ago, Forbes‘ Evan Dammarell reported how Drummond would do so with the Cavs’ intending to trade him at some point. Albeit Dammarell clearly stated that a trade at some point would be the case, but not “immediately.”

Dammarell would then essentially back up that prior report in response to Stein’s report on Tuesday morning as well, although it would still seem that Drummond should stick around with the Cavaliers at least for some time next season.

With the Cavaliers potentially looking to add another top 10 pick in Wednesday’s 2020 NBA Draft, of which you can view reported details about here, perhaps Drummond could be part of a package moved during that.

Although I personally wouldn’t expect that to be the case, and I’d imagine that he’d be more so moved near the 2021 trade deadline, frankly, as per a report from Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, if the Cavs were to move Drummond, their “best chance” would be near the deadline. Clearly, it seems that as Dammarell alluded to, Drummond is “likely not” going to sign a contract extension with the Cavaliers, either way.

For what it’s worth, I honestly wouldn’t likely expect Kevin Love, given his contract situation, to be moved until at least more near the 2021 deadline, either. I’d think that’d be probably more so after next season as well.

That’s because of what The Athletic‘s John Hollinger stressed on a recent appearance on the NBA Big Board podcast with host Chad Ford, formerly of ESPN, in which Hollinger stated how he doesn’t think there’s “any market” for Love, anyhow. So even though Sean Deveney Heavy.com reported how the Cavaliers are “eager to dump Kevin Love,” I personally wouldn’t expect him to be moved for a while yet.

Anyway, swinging back to Drummond and his situation with the Cavaliers, it would of course no surprise that Dre chose to exercise his player option, and I don’t blame him.

But even while he should end up having more of a sample size, I would think, with the Cavs than just the eight games post-deadline last season leading into the novel coronavirus-induced hiatus/end of 2019-20 for Cleveland, he’d seem very likely to be moved.

I’d think more near the deadline, as the Cavs would seem to at least want to see him more alongside Love, Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Kevin Porter Jr., Cedi Osman and others, albeit maybe it will end up being sooner.

To reiterate, though, everybody and their brother, sister, parents and pet(s) seemingly expected Drummond to pick up his $28.7 million player option, and for a non-spacing/playmaking center that is not switchable defensively, at that.

Not to mention, the COVID-19 pandemic has had its impact, and teams want to have significant cap space for the summer of 2021, in what is likely set to be a loaded free agency class.