Cavs, Andre Drummond to work out buyout; LAL, BKN are frontrunners, as expected

The reported skepticism about the Cleveland Cavaliers eventually being able land a deal for Andre Drummond that was seemingly to their liking ended up holding up, ultimately.

Clubs that have been rumored to be potential trade landing spots for Drummond were the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics, for example, and Cleveland previously had reported trade conversations with the Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks. The Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets were said to have at least some interest in Drummond, too.

Drummond having been due to make $28.7 million for this season didn’t make possible trade scenarios simple, though, even via potential multi-team deals, seemingly.

Albeit there have been a number of clubs, and more so the clubs previously mentioned, interested as a potential buyout suitor for Drummond, and you can view more on those that were rumored to be in that realm at this link and also here. It was mutually agreed by Drummond/his camp and the Cavs, as was expected to play out, that he will ultimately be bought out by the Cavs, though.

That was first reported by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

From there, as has been rumored for seemingly a while if the scenario were to occur, the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets are expected to be the frontrunners for landing Drummond, when he ultimately clears waivers. That’s per a report from Evan Dammarell of Forbes and Fear The Sword.

This wasn’t necessarily unexpected in regards to the Cavs/Drummond, as Cleveland was reportedly not looking to take back bad salary.

It’s clear that for the Cavaliers, while they sought out a potential deal for Drummond, as was reported by Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, Cleveland general manager Koby Altman/the front office didn’t want to take back sizable, and I’d think at least one bad contract, back. That was seemingly with how no deals they liked didn’t have the requirement for them to take back “burly contracts back to match Drummond’s $28.7 million salary.”

Fedor’s report then stated how that could limit Cleveland looking onward.

"“That kind of deal would’ve limited their financial flexibility as they attempt to push the rebuild forward.”"

So while I’m sure plenty of Cleveland Cavaliers fans want to absolutely grill Altman here, and/or the team for having Drummond sit since mid-February, let’s not gloss over the noticeable lack of effort from Drummond post-Jarrett Allen trade acquisition.

Plus, while Drummond did a good job early on, and had 17.5 points, a near-league-lead 13.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game this season, the again, lack of effort post-Allen trade was hurting the team. And it was apparent that the club was better off with Allen.

Drummond, who has attempted the vast majority of his shots right near the rim, has shot a career-worst 47.4 percent from the field this season, and his all-too-frequent post-ups that often led to bad misses and lack of flow were so deflating. Diddo for his iso possessions, and that took opportunities away from perimeter shooters, and Darius Garland/Collin Sexton.

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So, all things considered, it wasn’t really shocking that this is what looks to have transpired.

Now, is Drummond your typical buyout piece? Obviously not, and would I have liked for Cleveland to potentially add a trade candidate from the Knicks, such as Frank Ntilikina or Tomas Satoransky?

I definitely would have, but I get the move, or rather, lack of move here. That’s in relation to seemingly the Collin Sexton and Jarrett Allen contract extensions reportedly to come this upcoming offseason.

Moreover, let’s not gloss over how Cleveland originally acquired Drummond for only John Henson, Brandon Knight, both of whom are not currently in the league, and a 2023 second-round pick. So, I can understand where the Cavs were coming from here.

And on an additional note, the Cavs essentially getting what turned out to be three second-round picks for a half season of JaVale McGee, including their prior trade with the Lakers before the season, was not too shabby. That’s including the trade with they had with the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, of which you can view the reported details here.

McGee was effective for the Cavaliers this season, but that, and honestly a player that could benefit from more of a role with Cleveland in Isaiah Hartenstein, who is a viable rim protector and is only 22, were more than understandable moves. After all, McGee still can play, sure, but he is 33.

Anyhow, we’ll have to see where Drummond ultimately does end up, and one would assume, LA in that sense, especially given injuries to Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Can he, when they are back in the fold, by into a role to impact winning, though?

That specifically I still strongly question at this point. We haven’t seen that sort of thing from Drummond to this point in his career. But perhaps he can, or with Brooklyn, maybe, or a different contender.

We’ll have to see how this impacts Drummond’s upcoming unrestricted free agency this next offseason, as clearly, it’s not the biggest seller for him currently. A potential title run wouldn’t hurt if he’s bought in, however.