Andre Drummond

With the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers potentially readying for a fire sale, the Toronto Raptors are one of several teams interested in veteran center Andre Drummond, according to Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer. 

The big man will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, and the 10-15 Cavaliers boast the league's worst offensive rating and 16th-best defensive ranking, per NBA.com.

The 27-year-old is in his first full campaign with the Cavaliers, having spent his first seven-plus seasons with the Detroit Pistons before a trade to Cleveland midway through 2019-20. 

Through 23 outings this year, the four-time rebounding champ has averaged a career-high 18.5 points with 14.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

NBA journeyman Aron Baynes is Toronto's starting center, but through 21 games, Baynes has been largely unproductive for the 11-13 Raptors.

The 34-year-old, who joined the team to take over for new Los Angeles Laker Marc Gasol, has averaged just 5.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season. Backup Chris Boucher has fared better with 13.8 points and 6.5 boards in more minutes per game (23.2) than Baynes (18.4).

Still, Drummond will certainly be an upgrade at the position if the Raptors land him.

The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly have no interest in buying out the remainder of star center Andre Drummond's contract. 

Michael Scotto of HoopsHype spoke with eight anonymous NBA executives and just two of them expected a buyout to happen, and a league source told Scotto the team isn't interested in that option. Most said they believe a trade is possible before the March 25 deadline, however.

Drummond is in the final year of his contract and is enjoying a career year statistically with 18.2 points, 14.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.

In addition to being first in the NBA in rebounds per game for the fourth consecutive season, Scotto noted that Drummond is tied for first in defensive win shares (1.4) and second in defensive rating (100.4).

Despite his dominance at the center position throughout his nine-year NBA career, Drummond hasn't been valued as much as one might think.

Last season, the Detroit Pistons traded Drummond to the Cavs, and all Cleveland had to give up was John Henson, Brandon Knight and a 2023 second-round pick.

The executives Scotto spoke with believe a similar situation could play out this season. Multiple execs suggested the Cavaliers may only be able to net one or two second-round picks in a deal involving Drummond.

Another executive said the Cavs "might be able to get a protected first-round pick," but matching Drummond's $28.7 million salary in a trade could be difficult for a contending team since they are unlikely to want to subtract much from their roster.

Drummond seems unlikely to return to the Cavaliers next season since they acquired center Jarrett Allen in the multi-team trade that sent James Harden from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets.

Trading Drummond before the deadline could give the Cavs an opportunity to see exactly what they have in the 22-year-old Allen before signing him in restricted free agency.

If it turns out that the Cavaliers can't get much more than a second-round pick or two in return for Drummond, then they may be best off hanging onto him for the duration of the campaign since they currently occupy the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference at 10-12.

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters big man Andre Drummond and forward Larry Nance Jr. will not play Monday's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Drummond spent parts of the first eight seasons of his career with the Detroit Pistons, but the Cavs acquired him prior to last season's trade deadline for only John Henson, Brandon Knight and a 2023 second-round pick.

In eight games with the Cavaliers last season, Drummond averaged 17.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks. When taking his time with the Pistons into account, he put up 17.7 points, 2.7 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.6 blocks in 2019-20.

So far this season, his first full campaign in Cleveland, Drummond is averaging 18.5 points, 15.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.

The 27-year-old Drummond is a two-time All-Star and four-time NBA rebounding champion, but his future beyond this season is somewhat in question. He exercised the $28.7 million option in his contract to return to the Cavs this season, but he can become a free agent during the offseason.

The Cavaliers are not one of the NBA's best teams, so Drummond's potential absence won't have much of an impact on their season as a whole.

One thing Drummond possibly missing time does do, however, is make it more difficult for the Cavs to evaluate him and determine whether he is a long-term fit.

The Cavaliers don't have much of an interior presence aside from Drummond, so teams will likely be able to have their way in the paint until he returns.

Jarrett Allen and JaVale McGee will likely see the biggest boost in playing time while Drummond is out.

As for Nance, he is averaging 9.6 points and 6.9 rebounds as one of Cleveland's secondary playmakers. His presence isn't quite as important as Drummond's, and Taurean Prince and Cedi Osman will likely see an uptick in playing time while he is sidelined.

Amid trade rumors surrounding the future of Cleveland Cavaliers center Andre Drummond, a second report has linked the star to the Brooklyn Nets.

Zach Harper of The Athletic reported that league sources believe "it's a matter of time" before Drummond is bought out and moves to join the superstar setup in Brooklyn.

Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer previously reported that a buyout is "so unlikely," but "the Nets are hoping" there's an opportunity for the 27-year-old big to head east. 

The 27-year-old is having a career year so far in 2020-21, with 18.7 points and 14.6 rebounds to go with 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals through 16 games for Cleveland this season.

He is on a player option worth $28.8 million this season, one year after earning $27.1 million, according to Spotrac.

While the Nets are loaded with top-tier talent thanks to the blockbuster deal that brought James Harden to town to work alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, they've been struggling with their bench players and have little work with at center since they shipped Jarrett Allen to Cleveland in the four-team deal.

But Drummond could be the answer to their problems, while the Cavaliers wouldn't have to look far at all to find his replacement. Allen is perfectly capable of filling into the hole left that would be left by Drummond, having averaged 11.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.6 blocks through 16 games this season. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to clear up their logjam in the frontcourt by putting Andre Drummond on the market, according to Jason Dumas of KRON 4 News.

The team is seeking draft capital in return for Drummond and Kevin Love, while the Cavs are already having discussions about dealing JaVale McGee.

During a recent appearance on Yang Speaks (starting at the 1:16:41 mark), Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer reported the Brooklyn Nets would be interested in Drummond if the veteran gets bought out by the Cavs.

”People around the league say the Nets are hoping that Andre Drummond, the Cavs center, gets bought out," O'Connor said. "That's what people say they're hoping for, but that's unlikely ... it's so unlikely because Cleveland's in it [for a playoff spot]."

Drummond could represent a major boost to a contender as the leading rebounder in the NBA (14.6 boards per game). He is also averaging a career-high 18.7 points per game, as well as 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals.

The 27-year-old came to Cleveland in a 2020 trade that was mostly a salary dump, with the Detroit Pistons receiving John Henson, Brandon Knight and a 2023 second-round draft pick. 

Henson and Knight played a combined 20 games in Detroit and remain unsigned free agents.

Drummond made $27.1 million during the 2019-20 season and picked up his player option for 2020-21 worth $28.8 million, per Spotrac. Though he still has a high salary, it will be easier for a new team to cover a few months of the contract after a midseason trade before he hits free agency in the offseason.

Teams aren't always looking for true centers who can't shoot in the modern NBA, but Drummond is a two-time All-Star who has led the NBA in rebounding four times in his first nine seasons. In 2018-19, he finished 11th in the league with 10.0 win shares.

Meanwhile, a trade could allow Cleveland to add more assets for the rebuild while clearing playing time for recently acquired center Jarrett Allen.

The Brooklyn Nets may not be done dealing.

According to Jason Dumas of KRON 4, the Nets "are in active discussions with the Cleveland Cavaliers to acquire JaVale McGee" and are also at least interested in Kevin Love.

However, a league source told Brian Lewis of the New York Post that Love is unlikely because of the Cavs veteran's "mediocre" defense and sizable contract (Love is making $31.3 million this season and is owed another $60.2 million through 2022-23).

Dumas also noted the Cavaliers may attempt to trade both Love and Andre Drummond in an effort to bolster their rebuilding process with draft capital but will not trade Jarrett Allen.

The idea of Love joining the Nets is the headliner of Dumas' report.

After all, they are already championship contenders with Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving. While depth—and the salary cap—may be a problem, adding Love would give them another championship-winning veteran who is accustomed to playing under the bright spotlight the Nets will find themselves in during the playoffs.

Love won a title with the Cavaliers in 2016 as teammates with Irving and is a five-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA selection who can hit from the outside, score on the blocks, grab double-digit rebounds and turn heads with impressive outlet passing.

He is also someone who deferred to LeBron James and Irving during that championship run with Cleveland, so playing alongside Brooklyn's trio likely wouldn't be an issue for the veteran.

Although it appears Love could potentially fit in with the Nets, Lewis' report casts doubt on the possibility of him potentially being added to Brooklyn's star-studded roster.

As for McGee, the Cavaliers center is averaging 8.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game through his first 14 appearances of the season. And while Love's contract may be tough for the Nets to take on, McGee is making $4.2 million in 2020-21 and is set to become a free agent at season's end.

McGee has shown the ability to be a productive role player on championship teams, as he has won three championships (two with the Golden State Warriors and one with the Los Angeles Lakers) in the past four seasons.

Meanwhile, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that Cleveland is not interested in trading Allen.

After all, he is 22 years old and scheduled for restricted free agency this coming offseason. He is an impressive rim-protector who can also put up a double-double with points and rebounds on any given night, so Cleveland may look to sign him to a long-term deal as its big man of the future.

Drummond is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and Love is 32 years old.

The Cavaliers are not likely to be championship contenders in the near future while they are both still on the roster, so adding to their draft capital would allow them to capitalize on their value prior to the trade deadline.