Andre Drummond

Cleveland Cavaliers center Andre Drummond isn't dwelling on trade rumors swirling around him.

Per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, Drummond noted "there's nothing I can do about" the trade talk.

"I play the same way each and every night," he said Friday. "The trade, it is what it is. There's nothing I can do about that. If I do get traded, I don't control that either. I'm just here to play basketball with whatever jersey I have on. That's all I can focus on right now."

Drummond's short-term future in Cleveland became unclear when the team acquired Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince from the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday as part of the three-team James Harden trade.

Fedor reported Friday that Cleveland received calls "shortly after the Allen swap" from opposing teams asking about Drummond and backup center JaVale McGee.

Allen and Drummond are traditional centers who play close to the basket. Allen, 22, is five years younger and will be eligible for restricted free agency in the offseason. He averaged 11.2 points and 10.4 rebounds in 12 games with the Nets this season prior to the deal.

Drummond will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. He was acquired by the Cavs in a February trade with the Detroit Pistons. The two-time All-Star has averaged 18.6 points and 13.9 rebounds in 20 games with Cleveland.

As the Cleveland Cavaliers prepare to welcome Jarrett Allen into the fold, they reportedly find themselves in a contract bind with Andre Drummond. 

On the Wine & Gold Talk podcast, Chris Fedor of the Plain Dealer reported Cleveland's "initial conversations" with Drummond's camp "didn't go great" because the "kind of value he's looking for is not necessarily one that the Cavs would be comfortable with in free agency."

The Cavs acquired Allen on Thursday as part of the four-team blockbuster trade that sent James Harden from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets. 

Allen has been Brooklyn's primary center since his rookie season in 2017-18. The 22-year-old started 180 of the 234 games he appeared in for the franchise and is averaging a career-high 11.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game so far in 2020-21. 

Drummond opted in to the final season of his contract during the offseason. The two-time All-Star will earn $28.75 million in 2020-21 before being eligible for free agency this summer. 

Cleveland acquired Drummond from the Detroit Pistons in February. He's averaged 17.8 points and 13.4 rebounds in 19 starts with the team. The 27-year-old leads the league with 15.1 rebounds per game this season. 

The Cavaliers are building around a young foundation led by Darius Garland and Collin Sexton. Allen is five years younger than Drummond and will be eligible for restricted free agency after this season. 

Given the current state of Cleveland's roster, Allen seems like the safer bet for the franchise to prioritize over Drummond. 

Cleveland Cavaliers big men Kevin Love and Andre Drummond reportedly covered lost wages for employees at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse amid the COVID-19 pandemic, per Chris Manning of Fear the Sword and the Locked on Cavs podcast.

Manning offered further clarification on Love's and Drummond's contributions.

The employees were reportedly tasked with swapping out the arena floor, and the wages covered five lost home games that were never played because of the pandemic.

The NBA suspended play March 11, and Cleveland was among eight teams whose season ended at that point, with the other 22 playing out the remainder of the campaign in Walt Disney World.

Love had previously announced a $100,000 donation to Cavs' arena and support staff on March 12 through the Kevin Love Fund.

He isn't the only Cavalier to help out Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse workers. Drummond announced a $60,000 donation to arena staff in April, per Rod Beard of the Detroit News.

That donation was in addition to a $100,000 gift for personal protective equipment for his hometown area in Connecticut as well as 10,000 headphones for schools in Cleveland and Detroit for online education.

Per Kevin Kleps of Crain's Cleveland Business, the Cavs also did the following:

"The Cavs also compensated workers who were scheduled to be at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for the Mid-American men's and women's basketball tournaments, the six NCAA men's hoops tournament games that were slated to be held at the arena and a Michael Buble concert that was canceled.

"The Cavs said the part-time event staffers received a total of more than $1.2 million for the events that were canceled or suspended.

"The team also said it hasn't had any layoffs or furloughs during the crisis."

In addition, the Cavs said they were paying arena workers who are normally compensated by other organizations, per Nancy Armour, Rachel Axon, Steve Berkowitz and Tom Schad of USA Today. 

Those workers include people normally paid by "food and beverage conglomerates," as the USA Today reporters noted.

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is back open for Cavs basketball after the season began earlier this month. However, only 300 fans are allowed in attendance right now because of the pandemic.

Center Andre Drummond will reportedly exercise the $28.7 million option in his contract and remain with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2020-21 season, according to Marc Stein of the New York Times.

The Cavs acquired Drummond from the Detroit Pistons at a discounted price in February, as they gave up only John Henson, Brandon Knight and a 2023 second-round pick.

Drummond appeared in eight games for Cleveland after the trade, averaging 17.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks.

In 57 games split between the Cavs and Pistons last season, Drummond averaged a career-high 17.7 points to go along with 15.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.6 blocks.

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Last season marked the third year in a row and fourth time in five seasons that Drummond led the NBA in rebounding.

He is a two-time All-Star and in the prime of his career at 27, but Drummond may not be of great use to a rebuilding Cavs team that went an Eastern Conference-worst 19-46 last season and is unlikely to compete for a playoff spot in 2020-21.

However, he may not finish the season with the Cavs.

Cleveland didn't pay much to acquire him, and a big reason for that was Detroit's motivation to shed his contract. Since he can become a free agent at the end of the 2020-21 season, the Cavs may not have to sell him for pennies on the dollar.

Drummond figures to dominate the frontcourt minutes for Cleveland alongside Kevin Love during the upcoming season, especially if Tristan Thompson signs elsewhere in free agency. That could set the stage for Drummond to have a career year statistically and possibly increase his value.

The Boston Celtics, for instance, could view a player like Drummond as the missing piece inside, and getting a first-round pick and potentially more for him would be a nice haul once the deadline rolls around.

If the Cleveland Cavaliers trade center Andre Drummond, it reportedly isn't likely to happen until during the 2020-21 season.

According to cleveland.com's Chris Fedor, the belief is the Cavs' best chance to move Drummond would be at the 2020-21 trade deadline.

Drummond is expected to exercise his $28.7 million player option, as he said back in June that he would "definitely" do so.

Cleveland raised some eyebrows last season after acquiring Drummond from the Detroit Pistons for John Henson, Brandon Knight and a 2023 second-round pick in February.

The Cavs didn't have to give up much despite Drummond being a two-time All-Star, primarily because Detroit wanted to avoid having him opt in for 2020-21. That could be ideal for Cleveland, though, since teams may be interested in him at the deadline as a rental.

Drummond, 27, has been among the most productive centers in the league over the past several years, leading the NBA in rebounds per game in four of the past five seasons. He also set a career high in scoring last season.

He appeared in only eight games for the Cavs before the 2019-20 season was stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but in 57 games split between the Pistons and Cavaliers, he averaged 17.7 points, 15.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.6 blocks while shooting 53.3 percent from the field.

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If Tristan Thompson leaves in free agency, the path is clear for Drummond to put up monster numbers.

Assuming the Cavs still aren't ready to contend for the playoffs after going an Eastern Conference-worst 19-46 last season, Drummond might become a valuable trade chip.

He could work well for a contending team in need of some interior help for the playoff push, and it isn't outside the realm of possibility that Cleveland could land a first-round pick and potentially even more.

Given that Cleveland only gave up a couple of bench players and a future second-round pick to land him, flipping Drummond could prove to be a coup for general manager Koby Altman.

The Walt Disney World Resort bubble magic is over, the Los Angeles Lakers are champions and there remains some uncertainty about just how long the upcoming offseason will be in the NBA.

That has done nothing to quell rumors from around the league, as teams turn their attention toward free agency and improving for the 2020-21 campaign.

With that in mind, here is a look at some of the latest NBA rumors and accompanying predictions for a handful of players.

Derrick Jones Jr. Drawing Multiple Suitors

Derrick Jones Jr., who is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, appeared to be a key part of the Miami Heat's future when he was a regular contributor during the 2019-20 campaign.

He averaged 8.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 23.3 minutes per game during the regular season but suddenly was essentially a nonfactor in the playoffs as Miami made the NBA Finals. The wing played just 6.5 minutes per night in the postseason and an average of 2.3 minutes in the three Finals games he saw the court.

That left some questions about his future, and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks are expected to pursue Jones during the offseason.

Jackson also suggested a return to the Heat "assuredly would be only on a one-year deal, and likely only after Miami explored other options with its mid-level exception."

The report pointed to a number of reasons for the dropoff in playing time during the postseason, including the fact that head coach Erik Spoelstra's reliance on veterans Andre Iguodala and Jae Crowder cut into Jones' minutes.

Jones also wasn't fully healthy following a scary fall during the seeding-game finale and after he sprained an ankle in the first round of the playoffs.

Given that reality, it will not be difficult for other teams to overlook his lack of postseason playing time and even his career three-point shooting percentage of 28.2 for a 23-year-old wing who is athletic enough to attack the basket and serve in the role of defensive stopper.

Opponents shot 4.8 percent worse from the field and 6.3 percent worse from three-point range than their normal averages when Jones guarded them in 2019-20, per NBA.com.

The thought here is the Heat will focus on bringing back Crowder and Goran Dragic before Jones in the offseason, leaving other teams as more likely destinations. Look for the Bulls, who are attempting to build a long-term contender with new head coach Billy Donovan and new executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, to aggressively pursue him.

Jones is someone who could fit in as a defensive stopper on the wing alongside Zach LaVine, who is more known for his offense.

He is also young enough to be part of a rebuild that lasts for multiple seasons.

Prediction: Bulls add Jones with their mid-level exception.

Andre Drummond's Long-Term Cleveland Future in Doubt

Big man Andre Drummond has a player option worth more than $28.7 million for 2020-21, and chances are he will exercise it and remain with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com suggested "the real question is what happens after" while pointing out the two sides "have been far apart" in early discussions about a long-term contract extension.

"The Cavs recognize Drummond's talent, but they are also honest about his flaws, especially in this pace-and-space era, where bigs like him are easy to attain," he wrote.

It is easy to point to Drummond's flaws in today's game. Opponents can exploit him in small-ball mismatches with pick-and-rolls and a spread-out attack. What's more, his career free-throw percentage of 46.1 makes it difficult to keep him on the floor in crunch time.

There is still plenty to like, though, including the fact that he is a walking double-double at just 27 years old. He averaged 17.7 points, 15.2 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.6 blocks per game last season on the Cavaliers and Pistons and can protect the rim, dominate the boards and finish in the lane.

Drummond is a two-time All-Star and four-time rebounding champion who has already built an impressive resume.

Given the sheer amount of money it is worth and the uncertainty surrounding the league's financial picture in the immediate future after the COVID-19 pandemic took away fans for the finishing kick and playoffs of the 2019-20 campaign, the UConn product will surely exercise his player option.

However, look for the Cavaliers to hold off on any long-term extensions and trade Drummond at the deadline to a contender searching for frontcourt help. Such a move would allow them to garner assets to facilitate the rebuild around Darius Garland, Collin Sexton and whoever they take with the No. 5 pick in the 2020 draft.

Prediction: Drummond exercises player option but is eventually traded by the Cavaliers.

Pacers Looking to Keep Justin Holiday

It is a new era for the Indiana Pacers after they hired Nate Bjorkgren as head coach, but they are reportedly looking to keep a key part of their 2019-20 rotation in place.

According to J. Michael of the Indianapolis Star, the Pacers "made it clear to Justin Holiday they want the free agent back" and have recently communicated with him.

"It's expected to be a 'strong market' for Holiday, but the Pacers will have the first shot at securing his services. He passed on a more lucrative deal from the Chicago Bulls, who'd traded him twice already, in search of a better basketball culture and stability," Michael wrote.

Holiday is a journeyman who has played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Bulls, New York Knicks and Memphis Grizzlies in addition to the Pacers throughout his career.

The 31-year-old averaged 8.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 40.5 percent from deep during the 2019-20 campaign for Indiana and is a 6'6" wing with athleticism and length to bother outside shooters and keep up with ball-handlers.

As a result, opponents shot 4.2 percent worse from the field and 4.9 percent worse from three-point range than their normal averages when he defended them last season, per NBA.com.

Given Holiday's apparent feelings about the Pacers' culture, the fact that he carved out a significant role on the team and talks are already in place, look for him to stay put.

Prediction: Holiday re-signs with Pacers.

An NBA offseason unlike any other is underway. In a non-pandemic year, the 2020-21 NBA regular season would be starting around this time.

Instead, the 2020 NBA offseason has just begun after the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Finals on Oct. 11 in a season suspended four-and-half months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What hasn't changed about this offseason is the wave of free-agency rumors, and you can find a few below alongside some analysis and predictions.

Andre Drummond's Conundrum

Cleveland Cavaliers center Andre Drummond has a crucial offseason decision to make regarding his $28,751,774 player option for the 2020-21 campaign.

One rumor that has made the rounds is from Evan Dammarell of Forbes, who reported that the Boston Celtics could be looking at the Cavs big man if he enters free agency:

“ ... If things don't get better it becomes even easier to flip Drummond and his mammoth expiring contract to another team to recoup assets to assist in their rebuild. Teams like the Boston Celtics, the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers all make sense as trade destinations for Drummond, and according to sources, the Celtics are monitoring the situation."

Jared Weiss of The Athletic does not see Drummond ending up as a Celtic:

"Let's get this one out of the way first. Drummond's name suddenly popped up in the rumor mill as someone the Celtics are keeping an eye on in case he and the Cavs can't reach an agreement. There are just too many reasons to dive into why Drummond to Boston doesn't make sense, but the internet is a boundless resource so let's dig in!"

Weiss' primary reason for a Drummond deal with the C's being unlikely coming to fruition is because the big man can simply sign for $28.8 million to stick with the Cavs.

Chris Fedor of cleveland.com asked Drummond about his future decision:

"As of right now, I'm just focusing on what I can worry about. Working on my game. Right now, just worrying about what's happening with the next couple of months, before the season. Whenever it's time to start, and when that time does come to make that decision, everybody will know. Right now, I'm a Cleveland Cavalier. In terms of extending, we will find that out when the time comes around."

Drummond added: "I'm at a point now in my career where I spent the last eight years in Detroit and I'm looking forward to the new start. If it's with the Cavs, fantastic. But I'm not at that point now to even have that thought process."

Traditional big men like Drummond are almost becoming extinct in today's NBA. There are homes for some, like Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz, but they are few and far between, and teams aren't clamoring to build franchises around them.

Drummond's previous contract with the Detroit Pistons paid him like a superstar franchise building block. He likely will not get close to $28.8 million in average salary for any future deal. His best bet is to take the option and stay with Cleveland if he can't work out a suitable extension. Either way, look for Drummond in a Cavs uniform next year.

Jerami Grant on His Way Out?

Denver Nuggets forward Jerami Grant played a key role in his team's drive to the Western Conference Finals, averaging 12.0 points on 47.8 percent shooting and playing some lockdown defense along the way.

Grant has a chance to parlay that performance into a free-agent deal, however, as he can decline a $9.3 million player option.

Mike Singer of the Denver Post reported on Sept. 27 that Grant is expected to do just that, but Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports wrote that the ex-Oklahoma City Thunder forward could be involved in a trade anyway: "One executive theorized a sign-and-trade with Jerami Grant could happen, considering he's expected to decline his player option and enter free agency."

The Nuggets have been involved in trade rumors, perhaps most notably for New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday, per Goodwill: "According to sources, around 10 teams are inquiring about his services and one team hot after him is the Denver Nuggets, eager to capitalize on their appearance in the West Finals."

The Pels just added a defensive-minded coach in Stan Van Gundy, and the team needs to significantly improve upon its below average defensive rating. Perhaps Denver and New Orleans could execute a sign-and-trade involving Holiday and Grant, among other pieces.

Regardless of what happens, it's hard seeing Grant in Denver next year, and the guess is he plays elsewhere. The Nuggets are tied up long term with Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray's contracts, and they would presumably want to sign Michael Porter Jr. long term if he continues his development and promise from the end of last year. Gary Harris also has two years and nearly $40 million remaining on his contract.

Grant is a better fit for a team with a more flexible payroll looking to improve its defense, such as the Pels, Atlanta Hawks or Charlotte Hornets. Expect him to land with one of those three or another team in a similar boat either via sign-and-trade or free agency, with the best guess being New Orleans.

DeMar DeRozan's Decision

A rumor regarding San Antonio Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan emerged off an unnamed agent's comments to Ben Standig and Mike Vorunkov of The Athletic in an end-of-season survey to 20 representatives.

"DeMar doesn't like San Antonio and doesn't want to be there," the agent said. That person also speculated that DeRozan could end up with the Detroit Pistons to reunite with his former Toronto Raptors head coach, Dwane Casey.

DeRozan's response to the report, per Mark Dunphy of the San Antonio Express-News, was as follows: "DeRozan responded to the claim in an Instagram post Wednesday afternoon. He shared a clip of a confused Ice Cube with the caption, 'Me trying to figure out when I said that s--t.'"

DeRozan has a $27,739,975 player option for the 2020-21 season, per HoopsHype. He's coming off a season where he averaged 22.1 points, 5.6 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game for the Spurs, who struggled to a 32-39 finish last year.

His best bet might be to take the option, play out the season and work toward one last fat contract into his mid-30s. He'll be 32 next August and could still net a multi-year deal if he produces another good season.

A contending team looking for a second or third option could pick up DeRozan and hope for a deep playoff run. He's a solid shooter, adept ball-hander and stout rebounder for a guard.

For now, however, passing up a free $27.7 million might be difficult. The guess here is DeRozan takes the option and strikes it rich once more on a multi-year deal next summer.

News via from HoopsHype's free agency rumors tracker.

The 2020 NBA free agent market isn't officially open, but with all 30 clubs knee-deep into the offseason, there are already murmurings about what could be on deck.

Barring something entirely unexpected with Anthony Davis or Brandon Ingram, this free-agent class won't put an established star into a different jersey. But it will route impact players to contenders, high-ceiling prospects to rebuilders and flesh out rosters in many different ways.

The latest rumblings could offer clues about the future, so let's dig in.

Extension Possible for Andre Drummond?

In terms of trade capital, the Cavaliers essentially netted themselves a free up-close look at Drummond, as the Detroit Pistons let him go for only John Henson, Brandon Knight and a 2023 second-round pick. But the actual transaction cost was much steeper on Cleveland's end.

That's because Drummond came attached to a pesky $28.8 million player option, money he almost certainly can't pass up in this market. In a perfect world, the Cavs could've used the remainder of the 2019-20 campaign to determine whether the two-time All-Star was worthy of a new deal. But nothing is perfect in 2020, and the season's suspension meant Drummond made just eight appearances for the Cavaliers.

That hardly seems enough time to evaluate his fit, especially when the offense ran uncomfortably light on playmaking (league-worst 1.40 assists per turnover). But it was apparently enough for both sides to at least consider a future together.

"Both Drummond and the Cavaliers have been discussing a possible extension for a while now," Evan Dammarell reported for Forbes. "But...there's a noticeable gap in terms of how much money both sides are willing to agree to."

Drummond is good at what he does. He has collected four of the last five rebounding titles and averaged better than 17 points per outing each of the past two seasons (while shooting exactly 53.3 percent). But he has his limitations at both ends, and as a 27-year-old with eight NBA seasons under his belt, it's hard to imagine any dramatic improvements are coming.

Cleveland needs to determine what all of that is worth, but at least it has time to crunch the numbers. Unless a trade partner comes calling—Dammarell heard the Boston Celtics are "monitoring the situation"—Drummond should at least spend next season in Northeast Ohio.

Huge Raise for Joe Harris?

Things were a lot different the last time Harris hit the open market back in 2018.

He hadn't secured a full-time starting gig yet and was only two years into being a rotation regular. The Brooklyn Nets were cobbling together the few assets they could to try to find their way out from the wreckage that was their ill-fated 2013 trade for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

The Nets and Harris quietly came together on a two-year, $16 million contract then. His free agency won't have a quiet ending this time.

Now, he hits the market as an established elite shooter who can be entrusted with more than 30 minutes of floor time per night. Brooklyn has since moved under the microscope and onto the championship-or-bust evaluation scale after last summer's additions of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

The Nets should want to keep Harris around—few things are more helpful to stars than a reliable sniper—but it'll cost them.

"I have news for the Nets," ESPN's Zach Lowe said on "The Lowe Post" podcast (h/t RealGM). "They're going to have competition for Joe Harris. These teams with cap room all view Joe as a potential very good fit on the floor and a good culture guy. ... I think the Nets are going to have to pay like $15 million per year to keep Joe Harris."

Harris, who owns a 49.2/43.9/79.8 shooting slash since the start of 2017-18, can almost name his price and reasonably expect someone to meet it.

Market Developing for Derrick Jones Jr.?

Casual fans might know Jones for his aerial exploits, but front offices know the 23-year-old forward is more than a highlight factory.

He leverages that same explosiveness into tangible on-court contributions. On offense, he graded in the 97th percentile in transition and 83rd percentile on cuts. On defense, he held his matchups 4.8 percentage points below their normal shooting rates.

Those numbers reportedly got him noticed.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks are all "expected to have interest" in Jones. The Athletic's Shams Charania previously reported similar interest from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets.

Basically, any young team with money to spend probably plans to give Jones serious consideration. That doesn't mean he's guaranteed to leave the Miami Heat, but anything more than a one-year deal might scare off the big dreamers of South Beach.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.

Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @ZachBuckleyNBA.

Bradley Beal has labored through two difficult seasons with the Washington Wizards.

The 27-year-old combo guard has been Washington's most dependable offensive playmaker and shot creator over the course of the past two years with John Wall dealing with injuries.

Beal has shown out, but his individual brilliance has not resulted in winning. The Wizards won 32 games and finished 11th in the Eastern Conference last season. Washington earned a spot in the NBA restart this summer, but Beal did not play because of a rotator cuff injury.

Frustration mounted this year, and it seemed to boil over when Beal scored over 50 points in a pair of losing efforts late in February. Beal was the first player to drop 50 in consecutive contests since the late Kobe Bryant in 2007, but also just the fourth player in NBA history to lose both games.

Given the Wizards' struggles and cap inflexibility, Beal's name has routinely become the talk of trade chatter around the league. Mike Singer of the Denver Post reported Beal would be the ideal third star for the Nuggets to pair alongside Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic.

However, Beal is unlikely to be going anywhere anytime soon.

The two-time All-Star has yet to outright demand a trade from the organization, and Singer reported league sources do not think the Wizards have any inclination to move Beal.

Washington just signed Beal to a contract extension last offseason, and Wall is expected to return for the start of next season. The Wizards have yet to see both Wall and Beal share the floor at the peak of their powers, prompting all sorts of intriguing possibilities for next season.

Beal became a more prolific offensive playmaker in Wall's absence, evolving into a more well-rounded scorer and distributor. But Wall's explosiveness in pick-and-roll could also lead to more catch-and-shoot chances for Beal, rather than him having to create everything off the dribble.

Of course, the Wizards have limited spending capital and few young assets, and it is unlikely they will for some time with Wall and Beal taking up massive chunks cap space in the next few years. But it seems the Wizards are intent on seeing what their backcourt can do together next season.

Perhaps Washington would be more intrigued by the opportunity to add a budding young star such as Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr.

The 22-year-old showed out in spurts during his rookie season, putting together per-36 averages of 20.4 points and 10.3 rebounds while also shooting over 42 percent from beyond the arc. Porter took on a bigger role in the playoffs, averaging 11.4 points and 6.7 rebounds in just under 24 minutes per game.

However, Singer reported the Nuggets are "highly unlikely" to move Porter, who could even move into the starting lineup next season.

Porter showed tremendous explosiveness and shot-making ability in his rookie season. He seems to be fully recovered from the back issues that forced him to sit out the 2018-19 campaign, and should be in line for a fairly substantial minutes increase next year.

The Nuggets are still building after reaching the Conference Finals this year. It seems the organization feels Porter can develop into the third star Murray and Jokic might need to get over the hump in the West.

Drummond Unlikely to Sign Extension With Cavs   

The Cleveland Cavaliers made a surprise move at the February deadline by acquiring Andre Drummond from the Detroit Pistons.

Cleveland already had a plethora of frontcourt players on the roster, including Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love, and there did not appear to be a ton of space for Drummond.

However, as Chris Fedor of cleveland.com noted in a recent mailbag, the Cavs made the move for Drummond in part because Tristan Thompson will be a free agent later this fall. Cleveland figured it could add an All-Star center for a bargain price, so general manager pulled the trigger.

What happens forward remans to be seen. Drummond has a player $28.7 million player option he is all but certain to accept given the uncertainty of the market in free agency.

Fedor reported there had previously been mutual interest in an extension but added the two sides are now "far apart" in early discussions. There is also the fact the Cavs could look to take a big with the fifth overall pick in the upcoming draft, possibly Memphis' James Wiseman if he is still on the board.

Drummond is a four-time rebounding champion and an imposing, physical presence on the block. But he is also a paint-bound center, even if he did attempt to expand his range (1.8 threes per game) in eight games with the Cavs last season.

While Fedor noted the Cavs will not necessarily be looking to move Drummond, there does not appear to be much of a future for him in Cleveland, either.

All stats obtained via Basketball Reference, unless otherwise.