Andre Drummond Traded to Cleveland
After months of speculation as to where Andre Drummond would end up, we finally got our answer. Andre Drummond is going to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not the contending Celtics, not the contending Clippers, no no no. The 13-39 Cleveland Cavaliers are the lucky winners of the Andre Drummond sweepstakes. Why the Cavaliers want Drummond is quite the puzzler, but it could make sense if they re-sign him to a reasonable deal.
Cleveland got quite the steal in this one as they gave up Brandon Knight, John Henson and a 2023 Second Round pick for the two-time All-Star. Not many teams would be able to resist gaining Drummond for that price. Assuming Cleveland does sign Drummond for the long-term, Drummond will finally be playing with a Point Guard that has All-Star potential. Both Darius Garland and Collin Sexton can both run the pick-and-rolls and now have one of the best pick-and-roll Centers in the league.
Drummond is having one of the best statistical seasons of his career. He’s been averaging a career-high 17.8 points per game and an NBA-best 15.8 rebounds. He’s also been averaging 2.0 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, in the top ten in the NBA for both categories. Besides shooting, Drummond is above-par in every aspect of the game. His ball handling and passing are very overlooked in Drummond’s game and his free throw percentage is now passable at 58.4%.
The Detroit Pistons pulled off a bit of a head-scratcher. They essentially gain a second-round pick for their long-time starting Center. Detroit has finally accepted the fact that they’re going to have to rebuild and are trying to accumulate as many assets as possible. Now, Henson and Knight are not assets. The only asset they really receive is the 2023 Second Round pick. They get a future pick for their depleted war chest and are going to need to make another trade unless they plan on having John Henson or Christain Wood as their starting Center.
Cleveland comes out of this trade as the winners. They receive one of the better Centers in the NBA for essentially nothing and now have someone who can get good chemistry with Sexton and Garland. Their frontcourt may be a bit crammed having Thompson, Love, Drummond and Nance, but Thompson and Love should be gone by the 2019-2020 season. Drummond is only 26 with room to grow, and could really be a key piece in Cleveland’s future.
