Andre Drummond

Andre Drummond has been open about his desire to pick up his $28.7 million player option with the Cleveland Cavaliers after joining them in February from the Detroit Pistons, but his future after that is unclear.

According to Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor, Drummond and the Cavaliers are "far apart" when it comes to preliminary discussions regarding a contract extension.

Fedor reported that there was initially mutual interest in keeping Drummond in Cleveland. The problem lies in Drummond wanting to be rewarded for skipping out on free agency in a budget-friendly 2021 should he extend his stay with the Cavaliers, while the team is recognizing that the two-time All-Star may be easy to replace.

"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," Fedor wrote. "They don't want to commit to an unfriendly deal that could limit future moves, not after an eight-game sample size."

Through eight games with the Cavaliers, who missed the postseason for the second consecutive year after two trips to the NBA Finals, Drummond averaged 17.5 points and 11.1 rebounds in 28.1 minutes.

Fedor also reported that if an extension does not work out, Cleveland could hold on to Drummond until the trade deadline, when they can send him to a team whose playoff hopes would be elevated by an NBA veteran who carries no contract commitment beyond 2021, with the Cavaliers getting another piece in return to help bring them back into playoff contention.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will head into the 2020 offseason with quite a bit to prove.

Cleveland is on the heels of consecutive losing seasons following the departure of LeBron James in the summer of 2018. The Cavs' decision to draft Darius Garland fifth overall last year and go with a small backcourt did not pay dividends, and the team is also coming off a season of internal turmoil and the firing of former head coach John Beilein.

Yet, the Cavs were aggressors at the trade deadline, acquiring former All-Star center Andre Drummond from the Detroit Pistons. Cleveland did not have the opportunity to play many games after trading for Drummond, but it was 4-4 with him in the rotation and 5-6 after J.B. Bickerstaff took over for Beilein.

Drummond has already told Le Batard & Friends -- STUpodity he will accept his player option for the 2020-21 season, and there is a sense Cleveland could be active in doing whatever it takes to make a playoff push next season.

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported Cavs owner Dan Gilbert will "allow the front office to take on future salary—if the move makes sense and the piece coming back significantly improves their chances either in the short or long term." 

Fedor also reported the Cavaliers will "explore trade opportunities" using the No. 5 overall pick, one of their best assets.

It remains to be seen whether Cleveland is targeting a bona fide star. Fedor reported in August the Cavs could have interest in Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons should he become available: "[They feel] they have enough to assemble an enticing package especially with recent first-rounders littering the roster, a top-six pick coming in October and a future first from the Milwaukee Bucks."

The Cavaliers would almost certainly move either Garland or Collin Sexton in a deal for Simmons, in addition to draft assets. Adding the former NBA Rookie of the Year would give the team more playmaking alongside a legitimate stretch 4 in Kevin Love and a possible budding star in Kevin Porter Jr. However, the Cavs also have a paint-bound center in Drummond.

Acquiring a two-way star like Simmons—who would greatly improve the team's perimeter defense—would almost certainly help the Cavs be more competitive. But it might be more likely the team makes the pick at No. 5.

There is no telling whether the Cavs will be able to re-sign Tristan Thompson in free agency, and Drummond will be a free agent after his option expires. The Cavs could soon find themselves with limited frontcourt options, which is why it makes sense to take the best available big man with the fifth pick.

Regardless, it seems Cleveland is a team to watch this offseason.

     

Warriors Prefer Avdija to Ball, Wiseman   

Whereas the Cavaliers hope to be more competitive, the Golden State Warriors expect to win more with a healthy Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson returning to the floor.

Of course, the Dubs also have the No. 2 overall pick.

Golden State has any number of options with the pick, whether it chooses to stay put, move down or trade out of the draft entirely. But from a talent evaluation perspective, the Warriors are apparently enamored with Israeli product Deni Avdija.

Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle reported the Warriors are higher on Avdija than they are on point guard prospect LaMelo Ball and "perhaps" center James Wiseman.

Avdija has a wealth of international experience and potential as a stretch big with some explosive athleticism. Scouts have drawn comparisons between Avdija and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Danilo Gallinari, per Letourneau. 

Moreover, Letourneau reported the Dubs have "flown to Israel multiple times" in recent times to scout Avdija. He can handle the ball and operate as a playmaker in pick-and-roll, which might allow the Warriors to fully maximize Curry and Thompson off the ball. If nothing else, the 19-year-old would be an upside selection who could also offer intriguing possibilities off the bench.

But is it possible Avdija could still be on the board later in the draft?

Letourneau reported most experts expect Avdija to go in the "5-to-8 range," which could prompt the Warriors to trade back to acquire additional value for the No. 2 pick. If Golden State does choose to trade down, it might look to make a deal with the New York Knicks.

The Knicks and Ball have a reported mutual fondness, according to Ian Begley of SNY.tv (h/t Yahoo Sports), and moving up to No. 2 would probably give New York the best opportunity to draft its point guard of the future.

Golden State will likely take inquiries and assess all options, but it also might prefer to remain in the top eight so as to have the chance to select Avdija.

          

All stats obtained via Basketball Reference, unless otherwise noted.

While Giannis Antetokounmpo was named the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year Tuesday night, the voting breakdown was also notable as Andre Drummond earned one first-place vote. 

The other first-place votes went to Anthony Davis, Rudy Gobert, Ben Simmons, Bam Adebayo and Patrick Beverley.

Here are the full DPOY voting results ... pic.twitter.com/cSPU60aNRq

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 25, 2020

Greg Logan of Newsday had announced earlier this month he had vote for Drummond, filling out his ballot with Hassan Whiteside in second and Antetokounmpo third.

Drummond spent the 2019-20 season split between the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers, averaging a combined 17.7 points, 1.9 steals, 1.6 blocks and a league-high 15.2 rebounds per game.

He finished third in the NBA in steals per game and was the only player in the league ranking in the top 10 in both steals and blocks.

Logan also referenced Player Efficiency Rating, which has Drummond ranked 18th in the NBA.

Drummond has consistently been among the top rebounders and shot-blockers in basketball since entering the league in 2012, but he has never made an All-Defensive team in his career.

Despite his value, he is clearly behind Antetokounmpo, who can guard every position on the floor at 6'11". He finished the year leading the league in defensive win shares, defensive rating and defensive box plus-minus, per Basketball Reference.

The reigning MVP was a key reason the Milwaukee Bucks ranked No. 1 in defensive rating while producing the best record in the NBA.

Neither the Pistons nor the Cavaliers finished the year inside the top 20 in defense. Adding in Drummond's inconsistency on that end of the court, there was significant blowback when the vote was released:

Whomever voted Andre Drummond for DPOY needs to never get a ballot again. Especially if it's also the person who had Whiteside second.

— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) August 25, 2020

The NBA did a nice job trimming down the voting pool to try to get rid of wasted votes. The fact that there were only 2 is pretty good. But Drummond's defense is patently mediocre and he literally got salary dumped this year. Whiteside makes 4 mistakes for every 1 block.

— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) August 25, 2020

I apologize if this has been addressed, but ....

ANDRE DRUMMOND?!?! https://t.co/JSco8FGOM6

— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) August 25, 2020

While voters have different opinions about what matters in each contest, the Drummond vote certainly raised question marks.

If Kevin Love's opinion holds any weight, the Cleveland Cavaliers will attempt to keep Tristan Thompson next season.

The five-time All-Star tweeted that retaining Thompson should be the Cavs' top priority:

Tristan Thompson should be our #1 priority. Leader.

— Kevin Love (@kevinlove) August 18, 2020

Love has been teammates with Thompson since the 2014-15 season. Along with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, they were key pieces of the Cavaliers' championship squad in 2015-16.

Thompson can become an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career this offseason. The 29-year-old had an extended restricted free agency in the summer of 2015 before signing a five-year, $82 million extension with Cleveland in October.

Even though nothing is official until free agency begins, the Cavs seemed to signal their future direction at center when they acquired Andre Drummond from the Detroit Pistons in February.

Drummond and Thompson share similar styles of play, and Drummond has already said he plans to use his $28.7 million player option for next season.

Cleveland has $110.7 million in salary on the books for 2020-21 with Drummond's player option factored in, per Basketball Reference. It wouldn't seem to make much sense for a rebuilding franchise to continue adding salary for a season in which it's not expected to compete for a playoff spot.

Thompson averaged a career-high 12.0 points and 10.1 rebounds in 57 games during the 2019-20 season, though he doesn't offer three-point range or much shot-blocking and is undersized at 6'9".

Zach LaVine spent his first three seasons in the NBA with the Minnesota Timberwolves and has spent the past three seasons with the Chicago Bulls. Is it possible that the 25-year-old guard could be on the move again in the near future?

According to Ian Begley of SNY, the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets are "among the teams who have been monitoring LaVine's situation in Chicago" and that both "have done background work on LaVine to be prepared for the possibility that Chicago ends up listening to trade offers."

That's not to say the Bulls will look to deal LaVine, but it shows that the Knicks and Nets appear to be interested should he become available.

LaVine just had one of his best seasons, as he averaged a career-high 25.5 points over 60 games for the Bulls while shooting 45 percent from the field. He also averaged career bests in both rebounds (4.8) and steals (1.5) per contest to go along with his 4.2 assists per game.

A little more than a year after getting traded to the Bulls, LaVine signed a four-year, $78 million deal with the Bulls, so his contract isn't set to end until after the 2021-22 season.

LaVine would be a positive addition to either the Nets or Knicks. In Brooklyn, he could join Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to help the team try to become a championship contender. Meanwhile, New York is building around a young core featuring RJ Barrett as it tries to get back to playoff contention.

                        

Latest on Drummond's Future in Cleveland

The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Andre Drummond in a trade with the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 6, but the 6'10" center played only eight games before the season was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, it's likely Drummond will be back with the Cavs next season, as he holds a player option worth $28.75 million for 2020-21.

It's also possible that Drummond's time in Cleveland will extend beyond that.

According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, there's "mutual interest" between Drummond and the Cavaliers in working out a contract extension when the two sides are allowed to negotiate after the end of the 2019-20 season in October. Drummond is turning 27 on Aug. 10, so he likely still has plenty of productive seasons ahead of him.

This season, Drummond averaged 17.7 points and 15.2 rebounds over 57 games with the Pistons and Cavs, shooting 53.3 percent from the field. It also marked the first time he played for a team other than Detroit, which selected him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2012 draft.

If the Cavaliers work out a long-term deal with Drummond, they will be set in the frontcourt for the next few seasons. Power forward Kevin Love is signed through the 2022-23 season and should remain a starter (assuming they don't trade him). The duo's leadership could help, as Cleveland has numerous young guards who are still developing.

Drummond has averaged double-digit points and rebounds in each of the past seven seasons, and he's led the NBA in rebounds per game four times during that stretch. So if the Cavs decide to sign him to an extension, it will likely take a sizable contract in order to lock him up.

As 22 NBA teams adjust to life in the bubble, the other eight are free to get busy on their offseason work.

The latest non-bubble buzz involves two rebuilders from the Eastern Conference.

One needs a new coach. The other is getting antsy about turning its direction around, which creates an interesting dynamic with its current franchise face.

Let's get to the whispers and break down what they mean.

                   

Thibodeau Studying Knicks Film, Likes Young Center

Like everyone else in consideration for the Knicks' head coaching vacancy, Tom Thibodeau has presented his case for the position. Now, he can only wait until the franchise brings this six-week process to a close with a final decision.

But to no one's surprise, the former Chicago Bulls coach isn't twiddling his thumbs awaiting New York's call. Instead, he's "poring over Knicks game film," per Marc Berman of the New York Post, because of course he is.

Thibodeau takes an old-school approach to the profession, and he can be maniacal with his preparation. If he thinks he has a chance to get this gig—he was identified as the favorite early in the process—it makes sense to get to know this roster.

He already has taken an interest in sophomore center Mitchell Robinson and wants to mold him into a true defensive anchor, per Berman.

The 22-year-old, a 7-footer with bounce, already has some eye-popping statistics (career 11.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per 36 minutes), but he's still learning the nuances of this game, like how to defend without fouling.

Thibodeau does his best work at the defensive end and has previously worked with Defensive Player of the Year winners Kevin Garnett (in Boston) and Joakim Noah (in Chicago).

If the Knicks brass decides Thibodeau is the guy, Robinson's development could be a key factor in that decision.

              

Cavs Aren't Interested in Salary-Dumping Love

Originally a handpicked running mate for LeBron James, Kevin Love now leads a fish-out-of-water existence for the LeBron-less Cleveland Cavaliers.

They're in the weeds of a full-scale rebuild, and as their 19-46 record can attest, there's plenty of work remaining. Love seemingly doesn't fit at all, as a 31-year-old former All-Star set to collect at least $28.9 million each of the next three seasons.

And yet, the Cavs are in no hurry to get him off the roster. Not without worthwhile compensation, at least.

"The Cavs will not do a salary dump for Love," Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor wrote. "They want some combination of draft picks and young, ascending players for Love."

If that seems like an optimistic ask given Love's age, salary, defensive limitations and injury history, that's because it is. As Fedor noted, "many around the league continue to scoff" at the asking price, and if the Cavs can find a draft pick in a deal, they "would likely need to take back a bloated salary."

Win-now teams should have a level of interest in Love, since he's a proven scorer, rebounder and distributor. But it's hard to imagine anyone approaching the Cavs' asking price any time soon. So, hopefully he's comfortable in Northeast Ohio, because he's probably staying there a while.

                

Gilbert Ready for Cleveland To Turn Corner

The first time LeBron James left the Cavaliers, they wilted without him. During his four seasons with the Miami Heat, Cleveland went just 97-215 and never sniffed the playoffs.

Dan Gilbert apparently has no interest in being down that long again. It hasn't been two full seasons since James' latest exit, and the team owner is already "turning up the pressure for the Cavs to show real improvement next season," per The Athletic's Jason Lloyd.

It's hard to find the rationale behind this, beyond the fact that the Cavs still have one of the most expensive rosters in basketball. Adding Andre Drummond and his $28.8 million player option at the trade deadline only increased those costs, but perhaps that was the first indication they were getting eager for an accelerator.

But Drummond is a curious choice to lead a rise up the standings, considering he's been to the playoffs twice in eight seasons and never won a postseason game. Saying that, if he doesn't lead the charge, who will?

Love's only playoff success came alongside James; Collin Sexton had a good scoring season, but it's unclear if he can contribute to winning; and Darius Garland looked lost for much of his rookie year.

From the outside, this roster looks a ways off from competing for anything of substance. But if Gilbert sees things differently, his is the only opinion that matters for the organization.

Too fragile to buy high. Too good to sell low. And at this point, probably too late to do either.

That's the predicament the Detroit Pistons find themselves in with 2010-11 NBA MVP Derrick Rose, who in his career has gone from franchise cornerstone to injury-plagued afterthought to All-Star contender in the last two seasons by simply proving he still could make an impact.

"He reappeared and did it in a really good way," one rival team president said. As in, his return to stardom occurred on non-marquee teams (Timberwolves, Pistons) in smaller markets (Minneapolis, Detroit), and rather than grouse about being disrespected or having to prove himself on a basketball court all over again, he expressed profound gratitude for the chance to show he was still an NBA-caliber point guard. So much so that the Pistons felt they could acquire a first-round pick for Rose only to be rebuffed at the trade deadline this season.

Neither his attitude nor accomplishment, though, makes the job of the Pistons' new general manager, Troy Weaver, any easier. Or that of head coach Dwane Casey. Rose certainly demonstrated at times over the last two seasons that he can be as effective as he was in leading the Chicago Bulls to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons, including all the way to the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals.

That Rose seemed practically indestructible, missing only six of 246 regular-season games while averaging 37.1 minutes per game and upping that to 41.9 minutes in the playoffs. They were particularly demanding minutes as well, what without another All-Star playmaker on the roster.

To be sure, this Rose is no longer that Rose. While last season he had his first career 50-point performance for the Minnesota Timberwolves to beat the Utah Jazz, he also had four games in which he played 16 minutes or fewer and then wasn't available the next game. Overall, he appeared in 51 of 82 games.

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30 teams, 30 days: The biggest story from each NBA team ahead of the league's return.

Atl | Bos | Bkn | Cha | Chi | Cle
Dal | Den | Det | GS | Hou | Ind
LAC | LAL | Mem | Mia | Mil | Min
NO | NY | OKC | Orl | Phi | Pho
Por | Sac | SA | Tor | Uta | Was

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This year was only slightly better durability-wise. His usage percentage—an estimate of how many Pistons plays involved him when he was on the floor—mirrored LeBron James' with the Lakers this season (31.6). He led Detroit in both points (18.1) and assists (5.6) while shooting a career-high 49 percent from the field despite averaging a modest 26 minutes, good enough to inspire talk of All-Star recognition after an eight-year hiatus and Sixth Man of the Year consideration. But whereas LeBron played 60 of the Lakers' 63 games, Rose appeared in 50 of the Pistons' 66.

"You can't fall into thinking he can still play 36 minutes a night 75 nights a year," a Western Conference executive said. "Those days are over."

That he has recaptured any semblance of his former self is a revelation. No league MVP has ever been subsequently discarded more times. Then again, no league MVP, other than Bill Walton, has suffered a similar run of injuries in his prime, either.

Over his eight-year career with the Bulls, Rose missed 257 games, including a span of four seasons in which he missed 220, largely because of a torn ACL in his left knee and torn cartilage (twice) in his right knee. Reluctant to build around him after his slew of injuries, the Bulls, his hometown team, traded him to the New York Knicks in June 2016. The Knicks let his contract run out and did not re-sign him after one season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers signed him to a minimum deal the next season, only to trade him seven months later to the Jazz, who summarily waived him. The rest of the league took a collective pass on him for nearly a month before his former coach, Tom Thibodeau, enlisted him for the last few weeks of the 2017-18 season to help drag the Timberwolves to their only playoff appearance in the last 16 seasons.

"The biggest blessing I ever had was going to New York," Rose said in the fall on a podcast with me. "Going to New York, I figured out a way to be the third option and play a totally different way. It showed me I didn't have to be the first or second option. ... It helped me play with a little bit more poise. It helped me figure out to be more efficient ... and find out ways to affect the game by not only just scoring."

His injury history wasn't the only reason teams steered clear of signing him. In 2015, a woman filed a civil lawsuit accusing Rose and two of his friends of raping her while she was intoxicated in 2013. A jury deemed the allegation not credible, but further questions were raised during the trial when Rose admitted he didn't know the meaning of consent.

Then there were his curious disappearances from both the Knicks and Cavs as he struggled to recapture his love for the game and adjust to a far more limited role, a crisis of confidence that had him contemplating quitting.

"It has something to do with me, for sure," he said on the podcast of his month as a basketball outcast. "I left New York; I didn't tell anyone. I'm man enough to ... accept that."

He stopped viewing himself as a former MVP and three-time All-Star in Minnesota and stopped worrying about reclaiming that status. He also read up on how mental stress is related to physical health.

"I said from now on, just be a professional about whatever situation I'm in," Rose said. "... I had to put all those accolades in the past and just start over. I know I won't be the last Derrick Rose, with all the injuries and whatever. So I could be the example for the next guy that's going through something ... or the next kid. ... If I can get through it, I believe anybody can get through it."

Thibodeau was dismissed by the Timberwolves midway through the following season, and the team failed to make it two postseason appearances in a row, but Rose's 50-point game, career-high three-point shooting percentage (37) and willingness to play behind a far less accomplished point guard (Jeff Teague) prompted the league to reset its view on him.

Instead of the focus being on what he no longer was, it shifted to what he still could be. He was no longer the humble kid fearlessly stepping into Michael Jordan's shoes, determined to lead his hometown Bulls back to glory. But while the mission had to be revised and the signature explosive drives rationed, the fearlessness and humility remained.

"I look at him like Lou Williams, an explosive scorer off the bench," the Western Conference executive said. "Or Dennis Schroder, a monster in a three-guard lineup."

The Pistons saw him the same way when they signed him last summer to a two-year, $15 million deal. They were hoping that a combination of power forward Blake Griffin, center Andre Drummond, small forward Markieff Morris, combo guard Reggie Jackson and Rose would be good enough to secure a second straight trip to the playoffs and possibly even lead to winning a postseason series.

"A lot of people didn't understand my decision with coming to Detroit," he said on the podcast. "... I see something with the team that nobody else sees with us being in the East."

Those plans were crushed by knee issues that limited All-Star Griffin to 18 games and prompted season-ending surgery in January. The Pistons pivoted and dealt Drummond to the Cavs, waived Jackson and bought out Morris. They also explored trading Rose, league sources say, hoping to pluck a first-round pick from a team looking to bolster its playoff chances by adding Rose, as the Timberwolves once did.

The Lakers were supposedly interested, several league sources said, but salary-cap rules prevented them from trading this year's first-round pick because they dealt their 2021 pick to New Orleans, in part, to acquire Anthony Davis.

They weren't alone in their interest, but according to an Eastern Conference GM, those teams were trying to get him on the cheap. "You had people calling for him, but when it came to paying..."

Apparently no team was willing to pay, at least not enough to satisfy the Pistons.

The rival team president, who was not in the market for a point guard at the time, expressed surprise at that. "I thought he would have more value," he said. "He can't defend at a high level, but he can score with the best of them." Indeed, his ability to make big plays in big moments remains intact—he had several game-winning shots this season, including a game-winner against New Orleans that completed a 17-point fourth quarter for Rose.

In hindsight, the Pistons, the Western Conference executive said, should've taken whatever they could have gotten. Whether it was simply getting a younger quality player or a couple of second-round picks, adding to their relatively limited trove of rebuilding resources would've been the smart play. Detroit has its own first-round picks for the foreseeable future, but the Pistons don't have a 2020 second-round pick. Their only second-round pick in 2021 is from the Lakers. They also have the lesser second-round pick between Golden State's and Cleveland's in 2023, acquired in the Drummond deal. They don't have the rights to their own second-round pick until 2024.

"The ask was too great," the Western Conference executive said. "They totally mishandled that. It was the perfect time to move him. He was the ultimate rental at the trade deadline. You could keep him fresh for the playoffs and still have him next year on a very cap-friendly deal. He would've made a first-round playoff team into a second-round team, and he would've put the Lakers or the Clippers over the top."

Even if the Pistons had found a deal to their liking, it may not have been easy to pull off given Rose's longstanding relationship with Pistons vice chairman Arn Tellem, who previously was the vice chairman of Wasserman Media Group, which represents Rose. BJ Armstrong, Rose's agent, worked with Tellem at WMG and was a Tellem client during his playing days.

Point being: Ed Stefanski, a senior adviser to Pistons owner Tom Gores who handled the GM duties until Weaver's hiring last month, undoubtedly did not have clearance to trade Rose without Tellem's—and perhaps even Rose's—OK.

Preserving the relationship, however, left the Pistons without the goods to do much else. "They don't have any [other] assets," the Western Conference executive said. "Derrick is the only thing that gets you something."

The Pistons do have the fifth-worst record this season, which gives them a shot at a top pick in the draft. They were also projected to have $30 million in salary-cap room, though the financial impact of the coronavirus shutdown could change that.

Considering Rose's popularity and the uncertainty surrounding Griffin's health, one Eastern Conference GM would understand if Weaver opted to keep Rose rather than sell him for whatever he can get. Rose turns 32 in October.

"Can he be 35-minute-a-night Derrick Rose?" the GM asked. "No. But can he be Derrick Rose at 25-27 minutes a night for two, three more seasons? He's older, but in a way he's not older because he missed so much time. That's years of wear and tear he didn't put on his body."

That Rose chose to be in Detroit is another consideration. Most NBA veterans with options are looking to live in locales with better weather and more robust social and business scenes than the Motor City. But Rose feels a connection with Detroit.

"It's a gritty city. It's kind of like how I play and what I represent—the struggle—and I can just relate," he said on the podcast.

Don't underestimate the value of that for selling tickets, the Eastern Conference GM said. The Pistons have a new downtown arena to fill, and convincing their more affluent fans, who live closer to their old arena in Auburn Hills, to make the trek requires a drawing card.

"He fits the market," the GM said. "People in Detroit identify with him. It just depends on what you put around him. It's worth the gamble."

   

Ric Bucher covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @RicBucher.

Bucher hosts the podcast Bucher & Friends with NFL veteran Will Blackmon and former NBA center Ryan Hollins, available on iTunes.

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Two-time NBA champion and Inside The NBA on TNT co-host, Kenny "The Jet" Smith joins The Full 48 with Howard Beck to discuss the NBA restart, the bubble, which teams are likely contenders for the title and Kenny's early playing days with the Sacramento Kings.

When Andre Drummond was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers before the February deadline this year, he knew he wouldn't have long to decide his future. The longtime Detroit Pistons center had a $28.75 million player option for the 2020-21 season, and although he had planned to opt out in Detroit, he found himself on a new team. Still, he figured he would have until May to get a feel for playing on the Cavaliers.

On the court, Drummond immediately posted the kind of numbers that had made him a star in Detroit, totaling 33 points and 29 rebounds in his first two games. But before his third game, Cavaliers coach John Beilein resigned, with the team at 14-40. Yet under interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff, the Cavs found a new energy. They beat bubble-bound teams in the Wizards, Heat, 76ers, Nuggets and Spurs during a respectable 5-6 run. Then the season was suspended.

"I love the game, and despite the record we had in Cleveland, I enjoyed playing with those guys," Drummond told me at the end of April. "Just getting there and having to come to an abrupt stop was kind of shitty for me on my end because I did enjoy playing with them and building that chemistry." 

In the end, Drummond's decision was easy. He might have been able to secure more money overall on a multiyear deal, but that single-season salary, he told ESPN's STUpodity podcast last week, would be "pretty hard to give up." He said he will pick up his option, but building that chemistry remains a concern. The Cavaliers were in the Eastern Conference's cellar when the season was put on hold, and so they were not invited to the NBA's bubble in Orlando, Florida. As a result, they've been one of the loudest clubs lobbying the league to allow the "Delete Eight" teams to play meaningful games over the summer.

"Our front office and leadership has reached out [to the league]," Bickerstaff told reporters in early June. "We've had discussions with the other [seven] teams as coaches try to figure out a way to put something in place so that we can negate that disadvantage as best we possibly can."

For now, the league and the players association stand in the way of any such plans. The potential to be shut out of any meaningful basketball activity for eight-plus months could be costly for a young team like the Cavs. Of all the teams on the outside of the bubble, they may need that extra competition the most.

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30 teams, 30 days: The biggest story from each NBA team ahead of the league's return.

Atl | Bos | Bkn | Cha | Chi | Cle
Dal | Den | Det | GS | Hou | Ind
LAC | LAL | Mem | Mia | Mil | Min
NO | NY | OKC | Orl | Phi | Pho
Por | Sac | SA | Tor | Uta | Was

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Two years ago, they began their second post-LeBron rebuild, but they did so seemingly without a blueprint. In the past two seasons, they've had three head coaches and cycled 20 players on and off their roster. The front office seems content with Bickerstaff as its coach of the future, signing him to a four-year extension in March. But with Drummond surely exercising his option, Bickerstaff and the front office won't have much room to maneuver in free agency. (The Cavs are already over the cap for 2020-21, and it's expected to shrink.) Instead, they'll have to rely on the draft—and on developing their young talent.

"This offseason is a big offseason for us; there are some critical decisions that have to be made," Bickerstaff said. "We know what Kevin Love is, and we know how he can contribute. Larry Nance, Andre Drummond … we know who they are. The difference in who we are is going to be our young guys, so there's a huge emphasis and a focus on pushing them."

Love has been the subject of persistent trade rumors for the past two seasons. But if he stays in Cleveland for another season, he could be part of a formidable veteran frontcourt with Drummond and Nance. (Tristan Thompson, who has been a face of the franchise for a decade, is likely to leave in free agency.)

On the other hand, the Cavs backcourt is a collection of puzzle pieces that may not have come from the same box. In 2018 and 2019, the team drafted two point guards in the lottery: Collin Sexton (eighth overall) and Darius Garland (fifth overall). They may have hoped the pair could form the kind of lead-guard combo lineup that has thrived in Portland and Toronto, but that's not how it played out this season. The time may soon come to decide to pair one of them with the team's other young prospect, swingman Kevin Porter Jr., who offers good length and a promising scoring touch.

The Cavs' plus-minus in Garland and Sexton's 1,255 minutes together was minus-259, per Tony Pesta of Hoops Habit.

The primary problem is neither is an adequate defender. Each is undersized at 6'1", and when they're on the floor together, they seem to worsen each other's weaknesses. According to Basketball Reference, Sexton improved his defensive win shares total from minus-2.5 a season ago to 0.3, but he seemed to struggle the most when he shared the floor with Garland and was forced to defend shooting guards. Garland, for his part, earned 0.0 defensive win shares. As a team, the Cavs were second-to-last in defensive efficiency.

Offensively, they weren't much better, and Cleveland's young backcourt tended to overlap as ball-dominant, score-first guards. Neither boasted an assist-to-turnover ratio above 1.5. Garland's assist numbers did rise toward the end of the season (before he missed time with a groin injury), but that was primarily a result of playing increased minutes. "What we've been working with Darius on is obviously the pick-and-roll game," Bickerstaff said. "Darius has the ability to make all the passes."

Sexton has also struggled as a distributor, but he has at least made up for it by becoming a dynamic scorer from all levels. His offensive prowess was enough to earn him a spot in the Rising Stars Game in February. And in 11 games under Bickerstaff, Sexton surged, averaging 25.5 points on 52.8 percent shooting. "The growth was phenomenal," Bickerstaff said. "And it was something that everybody noticed and appreciated and respected. You could see his teammates buying into it more and more and more as he continued to do it."

For his part, Sexton has a big personal goal in mind next season. "I want to push towards that All-Star Game," he told reporters Friday. "I know what [that stage] feels like, and it just makes me hungry and makes me want to work that much harder. That's what's next for me."

What's next for the Cavaliers is not clear. It would be helpful for them to have the summer to see what a healthy Garland and Sexton could do together under Bickerstaff's coaching. If they don't, it wouldn't be hard to imagine them drafting a point guard in the lottery for the third season in a row. The good news is there's nowhere to go but up. The bad news is they're trying to make big decisions on a small sample size. And unlike Drummond's decision, the Cavs' upcoming choices won't be easy—and they may not pay off for a long time.