2 potential reunions Cavs should explore this summer in free agency

Andre Drummond would be a boost to the Cavs’ rebounding efforts

Another former Cav that could be a sensible add this offseason could be Andre Drummond.

This is with the caveat that Drummond would be surely in a reserve role this go-round, as opposed to often when he was with Cleveland after he was acquired via trade. Drummond was initially the starting 5 when Jarrett Allen was a trade acquisition early in the 2020-21 season, and since his eventual buyout agreement with the Cavs, Drummond has bounced around.

He’s had stints with the Los Angeles Lakers post-deadline in 2020-21, and has been with the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets (via trade) and lastly was with the Chicago Bulls this season, with them eventually losing in the Play-In Tournament.

Drummond is not a player that’s going to do what Love does in spacing the floor and knock down shots, but at this stage of his career, he seems to be bought into being a bench big that does the dirty work well, for the most part. The Cavaliers didn’t have the ability to be playing backup 5s against the Knicks and much at other points in the regular season, so potentially having Drummond for some non-Jarrett Allen minutes could help in that regard.

With him seemingly content now to be an effective screener and essentially roll-and-cut big, as opposed to before with the Cavaliers it appeared, Drummond could be a solid rotational piece to have for stretches. He was a four-time rebounding champ with the Detroit Pistons, and against physical teams and potentially in playoff contests, his 6-foot-10, 279-pound frame can still lead to him handling clean-up work and he can clear the defensive glass still among the best of anybody.

Drummond has his flaws, but for stretches, he can provide some rim protection still and if the buy-in is there, he still can make plays with active hands in the paint. In 12.7 minutes per contest with the Bulls this season, he had 6.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per outing, which were decent splits in a limited role.

At this stage, Drummond, who will be in his age-30 season next year, still can provide some productive minutes. While he’s limited offensively, for a backup 5, he could give Cleveland some relief for Allen, and feasibly at the veteran’s minimum or a bit more via the MLE.

Both sides could benefit from a reunion in that way.