After being picked up for next to nothing shortly before the NBA hiatus, the Cavaliers are looking to trade Andre Drummond before the deadline. Despite averaging over 17 points and at 13 rebounds, Drummond has a hefty contract, at $127 million over five years. Now, with the recent arrival of 22-year-old center Jarrett Allen, Cleveland is looking to off-load Drummond. The center has very low value and many teams will surely want to bring him in to lock in their odds to make the NBA finals. Many have explored the option of buying out Andre Drummond, however, these particular teams may not take the risk of waiting and make a trade for him now. Here are the teams that could capitalize on a murky situation in Cleveland and what he can bring to the table.
The Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers are agonizingly close to becoming a championship team. Damian Lillard is playing with a point to prove, CJ McCollum is soon to be back, and was having a fantastic season, and the Blazers are just missing that final piece. Andre Drummond is without a doubt the man they need to become contenders. They need a consistent rebounder who can get enough points on the board every night.
Andre Drummond allows Damian Lillard some slack and can ensure Portland isn’t going to lose every time Lillard isn’t playing at his best. Dame is doing everything he can right now to keep the Trailblazers as high as he can, but with the final piece, they’ll have the best in the West worried.
The Brooklyn Nets
Without a doubt, Andre Drummond to the Nets is the scariest trade for the rest of the NBA. Brooklyn has looked seemingly invincible in recent weeks, and with one last piece, will be in a perfect situation. The only flaw in the current Nets starting five seems to be the lackadaisical defensive player DeAndre Jordan. However, if Steve Nash can replace him with one of the best defensive centers in the league, there isn’t anything more they can do to lock in their odds to be favorites in the NBA finals.
The monster-rebounder can fix their only issue and would undoubtedly be a perfect fit. Adding Andre Drummond to any NBA team will make them much better, but bringing him to Brooklyn will seriously worry other contending teams.
The New York Knicks
On the other side of New York are the New York Knicks. With starting center Mitchell Robinson out with a fractured hand for up to two months, president Leon Rose will be scrambling to find a replacement. Although the Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson duo at center has held up the past couple of games, they won’t likely be enough to keep New York’s playoff dreams alive.
The Knicks could opt for a more experienced center and use him for the remainder of the season, and drop him over the off-season to allow Mitchell Robinson all the minutes he needs to grow. Drummond’s high energy and gritty style of play will fit perfectly into Tom Thibodeau’s system and could give them a great boost to keep them on the higher side of the Eastern Conference standings.
The Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers have had themselves a great season thus far. However, with Kawhi Leonard‘s contract set to expire this year, Tyronn Lue‘s side will be desperate to show him that the franchise is heading towards the NBA finals as soon as possible. If Kawhi isn’t impressed with the Clippers’ plans, he may opt to leave this summer as a free agent. However, buying out Andre Drummond may be the perfect way to convince the small forward Los Angeles is where he belongs.
Drummond can be the deciding factor that takes this team over the edge. The rebounding machine will make all the difference to bring them to the top of the Western Conference.
The Boston Celtics
The Celtics have had a rough start to the season. Although Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown have each done their part, Kemba Walker and former Cav Tristan Thompson simply haven’t done enough. Kemba has not been reliable in crunch-time, and Tristan Thompson can’t seem to figure out his role on this team. Currently 15-15, Celtics fans did not expect their team to do as poorly this year. However, a certain 27-year-old center can change all that. Drummond can take the pressure off Tristan Thompson and give the Celtics the offensive abilities to keep them from going on these scoring-droughts that they continue to have. Although the Celtics will definitely make the playoffs this year, they need someone to come in and make this an impactful season because, at the moment, it seems as though this one is anything but.