Andre Drummond

Andre Drummond's debut with the Los Angeles Lakers has ended early.

The center suffered a right big toe contusion during Wednesday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Lakers announced. X-rays came back negative.

Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Andre Drummond's toe "was really bothering him." Vogel said Drummond will be reevaluated tomorrow

— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) April 1, 2021

Andre Drummond said his “whole toenail was gone” after Brook Lopez stepped on his right big toe sometime in the first quarter tonight.

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 1, 2021

Drummond, who joined the Lakers following his contract buyout by the Cleveland Cavaliers, posted four points, two assists, a rebound and a block in 14 minutes of play.

In his first full season with the Cavs, Drummond had been nothing short of a star. He averaged 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game through 25 appearances with Cleveland, though the team began holding him out of games in mid-February in an effort to find a trade partner before the deadline.

If Drummond is forced to miss significant time, it will be a tough start to his career with the Lakers, who are already playing without LeBron James and Anthony Davis due to injury.

Andre Drummond will make his first appearance since Feb. 12 when the Los Angeles Lakers play the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, with the big slated to start over Marc Gasol.

That opportunity was just one of the reasons he chose the Lakers following his contract buyout by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Wednesday that Drummond chose the Lakers because he wanted to be a starter and have the opportunity to make a title run after qualifying for the playoffs only twice during his seven-plus seasons with the Detroit Pistons.

Drummond has had his share of individual successes, with two All-Star nods and an All-NBA selection to go with an All-Rookie nod, and he led the league in rebounding four times. But the 27-year-old has played just eight postseason games.

It will be a different story for Drummond with Los Angeles, as he'll slot into a lineup alongside Dennis Schroder, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma and Markieff Morris in the absence of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

"The chance to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis and do it in L.A., at least for the next few months, was just too much for him to pass up," Wojnarowski said.

Per Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, the star was also thinking about opportunities with the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks.

Drummond averaged 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds through 25 games with Cleveland this season, making him a big upgrade over Gasol and his 4.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. The Lakers are fourth in the Western Conference with a 30-17 record.

Two-time All-Star Andre Drummond will make his Los Angeles Lakers debut Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Drummond announced the news Tuesday during his first meeting with reporters as a member of the Lakers.

Los Angeles general manager Rob Pelinka announced Drummond's signing Sunday, after he was bought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Lakers head coach Frank Vogel confirmed that Drummond will play against the Bucks.

Per Jovan Buha of The Athletic, Drummond is expected to replace Marc Gasol in the starting lineup.

Vogel told reporters following Sunday's 96-93 win over the Orlando Magic that the Lakers were hoping to use Drummond, Gasol and Montrezl Harrell in their playoff rotation.

"We're gonna need 'em all," Vogel said. "There's no doubt in my mind that we're gonna need all three of them."

The Lakers signed Drummond to provide a boost as they wait for LeBron James and Anthony Davis to return from injuries as well as to provide depth in the frontcourt.

Davis was cleared by the team last week to advance his on-court work as he recovers from calf and Achilles injuries. The eight-time All-Star hasn't appeared in a game since Feb. 14.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Thursday that James has a recovery timetable of four to six weeks from the time he suffered an ankle injury March 20.

Drummond averaged 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game in 25 appearances for the Cavs this season.

Andre Drummond is reportedly "expected to start" at center over Marc Gasol after signing with the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday following his buyout from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Jovan Buha of The Athletic reported the expectations Monday, though Lakers head coach Frank Vogel wouldn't confirm what he discussed with Drummond about the role he'll fill.

"I have talked to him personally," Vogel said. "He's really excited about this situation. I don't want to go too far into the nature of those private conversations other than to say that he's really excited—probably excited as we are. I think our team got a lot better."

In the short term, Drummond provides a major boost to the lineup with LeBron James and Anthony Davis both sidelined by injuries. L.A. had lost four straight games after James was injured early in a March 20 loss to the Atlanta Hawks before righting the ship with wins over the Cavs and Orlando Magic.

James is reportedly expected to miss four-to-six weeks with a high-ankle sprain and Vogel said Davis, who's been out of the lineup since Feb. 14 with calf and Achilles injuries, is still a "ways away" from returning.

Those marquee absences will make it difficult for the Lakers to keep pace with the top teams in the loaded Western Conference. Their focus is likely more on trying to stay inside the top six of the standings to avoid the play-in tournament before the playoffs.

Drummond can be a high-volume player for the next month or so to help that quest.

In the bigger picture, his offensive role will eventually fade a bit once James and Davis are healthy, but he'll still be an important rebounder and shot-blocker for Los Angeles in the postseason.

The exact role he is going to play wasn't immediately clear since the Lakers could have kept Gasol in the starting lineup and then used Drummond off the bench, where he could get more offensive touches with the second unit and then play the critical minutes alongside the starters.

Instead, it sounds like he'll be a full-time starter, and that puts him in line to earn more minutes overall.

"He's one of the most dominant rollers, lob catchers, post players, offensive rebounders in the game. Screeners," Vogel said. "The list is long for how he's gonna contribute to our group and, you know, I do think he's gonna have an impact on our group right away offensively."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rZuIXhpA0o

The Lakers are back in action Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, but it's unclear when Drummond will make his team debut.

Along with having to clear COVID-19 protocols, he also hasn't played since Feb. 12 as the Cavs sat him out while seeking a trade that never materialized. So L.A. might want to make sure he gets back up to full speed with a couple of practices before being put back into game action.

Los Angeles heads out on a seven-game road trip after the clash with the Bucks starting with Friday night's game against the Sacramento Kings.

Andre Drummond is now the Los Angeles Lakers' starting center, and the story all somehow leads back to James Harden. 

More specifically, Drummond's ultimate Hollywood destination is merely one ripple effect from the four-team swap that sent Harden to Brooklyn in January. And with the NBA's buzzy trade deadline having come and gone, impact players from Drummond to Victor Oladipo are now scattered across the league, seeming to stretch the tentacles of the Nets' Harden blockbuster even further through this weird season and its ever-contested championship. 

     

The Beginning of the End in Cleveland

Drummond would likely still be starting in Cleveland if the Cavaliers weren't surprisingly roped into the now-notorious megadeal with the Nets, Rockets and Pacers. 

By all accounts, Cavs general manager Koby Altman's front office had little inkling Jarrett Allen would become available to them at the start of this calendar year. Dating back to when Cleveland acquired Drummond before the 2020 deadline, the Cavs planned to spend little in free agency this past offseason. The plan was to continue growing the young backcourt duo of Darius Garland and Collin Sexton with an elite rebounding big man, introduce a potential swing piece on the wing in No. 5 pick Isaac Okoro, then enter 2021 free agency with a developing core plus some money to spend. 

Then Houston called. The Rockets never projected much interest in keeping Allen or Caris LeVert, league sources told Bleacher Report. Rafael Stone's new regime sought all along to find additional new homes for both former Nets players as the trade framework with Brooklyn materialized.

Instead of LeVert, Houston targeted Oladipo, curious if the former All-NBA star could recapture his previous magic. If the Oladipo experiment failed, they bet he'd still draw more before this deadline than LeVert.

The Rockets did not foresee Allen, meanwhile, as a viable long-term frontcourt counterpart to Christian Wood. Thus, Cleveland was able to essentially acquire Allen for the low price of Milwaukee's 2022 first-round pick. 

So as Brooklyn cemented a superteam by acquiring Harden, the Cavs tabbed the 22-year-old Allen as its starting center. Drummond had helped Cleveland to a competitive start in 2020-21, averaging 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game, but Cavs management nonetheless hoped he would be amenable to splitting time with Allen. 

However, Drummond was not interested in playing reserve minutes behind Allen, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. That sparked Cleveland's intent to sit Drummond until moving him. 

     

A Tricky Trade Market

Cavaliers officials maintained an optimism they'd receive at least a second-round pick like they had given to Detroit for Drummond in the first place. "We're not looking for the moon and back," one Cleveland executive said at the time. 

The Cavaliers discussed a framework of sending Drummond to Toronto. Before those conversations fell apart, they showed significant interest in acquiring Norman Powell, sources said. 

Most playoff-bound teams inquired about Drummond. Dallas considered pairing Drummond with Kristaps Porzingis in the frontcourt. The Bulls weighed the benefits of landing Drummond, in need of a true pole of their interior offense, before they ultimately swung for Nikola Vucevic. The Clippers, Celtics, Heat, Hornets, Nets, Lakers and Knicks all showed ongoing interest, but most had difficulty matching Drummond's roughly $28 million salary. 

Acquiring Drummond would have forced his new team to likely move several contracts it had no interest in trading, creating a three-players-for-one concept that would have then forced Cleveland to waive players it didn't necessarily want to trade. Charlotte may have even needed to send five players. 

The Lakers, Celtics, Knicks, Mavericks and Hornets all maintained a dialogue with Cleveland through Thursday's trade deadline, sources said. All teams received permission to speak with Drummond and his representatives well before the clock struck 3 p.m. ET.

    

The Mavs Miss

Dallas was quite active looking for more perimeter shooting right up to the deadline. The Mavericks searched far and wide, including a framework of James Johnson and two second-round picks for Evan Fournier. Word began to circle as early as Tuesday night that the Mavericks and Pelicans had come to terms on the eventual swap that landed JJ Redick and Nicolo Melli in Dallas for Johnson, Wes Iwundu and a 2021 second-round draft pick, league executives told B/R.

It seemed that option remained on the table as somewhat of a failsafe ahead of the deadline. The Mavericks also held conversations with the Rockets regarding Oladipo on Thursday, sources said, but with Redick already in the fold and the dust settling that afternoon, those talks stalled. It did not seem Dallas factored much into the buyout market that was already taking shape for Drummond. 

    

Hornets Not Done with Drummond? 

The Hornets were equally active exploring the trade landscape for a legit big man. Along with its Drummond overtures, Charlotte discussed a package of Cody Zeller's expiring contract plus P.J. Washington with Indiana for Myles Turner, sources said. The Hornets made an offer to Los Angeles for Montrezl Harrell while also pursuing Richaun Holmes from the Sacramento Kings, sources said.

Malik Monk's name was involved in both those conversations, but the Kings and Hornets were unable to find a combination of young players and draft assets for Holmes to head East before the deadline. Charlotte is expected to again pursue Holmes in free agency this summer, sources said, where Holmes could seek upward of $20 million in average annual value. 

 

Not landing Holmes also kept Charlotte in the running for Drummond, after Cleveland at last resigned to letting the center walk via buyout. That paperwork was filed to the league around noon ET on Friday, sources said, and Drummond did grant the Hornets an audience afterward.

The premise of playing with a pass-first floor general like LaMelo Ball was a particularly intriguing opportunity for Drummond, sources said. Charlotte brass maintain a hope Ball will return this season from his fractured wrist, and the Hornets could have paired Drummond with the Rookie of the Year favorite for a postseason run before determining whether or how much they'd like to pay Drummond when he reaches free agency this summer. 

He could still end up in Charlotte this summer, when league executives polled by B/R expect the maximum range of Drummond's next deal to be somewhere around Clint Capela's $18 million average annual salary, but perhaps more likely on a contract length similar to Steven Adams' two-year, $35 million extension with New Orleans. 

But Drummond always seemed destined for Los Angeles in the short term (it was as repeated in conversations with league personnel as any rumor ahead of this trade deadline).

    

The Knicks' Play

New York was also linked ad nauseam to Drummond for its ability to pay the center upward of four years, $64 million right away, rather than the veteran minimum Los Angeles or Boston was offering. Albeit, the Lakers and Celtics presented starting roles on more serious playoff contenders than Tom Thibodeau's upstart at Madison Square Garden. 

There was a faction of New York's front office that wanted to obtain Drummond. But the Knicks ultimately remained focused on maintaining draft capital rather than trading future draft picks for a player they could seemingly add in free agency this offseason. That calculus played a key factor in New York never making an aggressive bid for Victor Oladipo and others, sources said.

Now the question in Manhattan shifts to a potential Knicks playoff push, and what impact that would have on a potential MSG spending spree this summer. There won't be many rivals with significant cap space, and New York is suddenly billing as a true playoff team, with ample marquee room next to Julius Randle. 

     

Celtics at the Scrap Yard

The Celtics still have an ongoing need to bolster their frontcourt, and Boston showed sustained interest in Drummond during trade conversations with Cleveland. 

Boston did draw Drummond's eye as the center reached waivers at 5 p.m. on Friday. While the Lakers were long considered the favorite to land him on the buyout circuit, skeptics around the league pointed to Los Angeles' crowded rotation as inertia that may have pushed the center to Boston. Drummond even spoke with Celtics guard and fellow UConn product Kemba Walker, whose own name was thrown around in trade conversations prior to the deadline.

Along with Boston's early efforts to land Aaron Gordon, management attempted to trade for Nikola Vucevic alongside Evan Fournier, sources confirmed to B/R.

But as deadline week progressed and the smoke cleared, it seems the Celtics' wavering openness to include Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III in any outgoing package muddied their conversations with the Magic. 

     

What It All Means: This Season and Beyond

As much as Marc Gasol's subpar contributions helped lead Los Angeles to pursue Drummond, Gasol remains under contract. There remains some speculation from rival executives that he could now come to a buyout agreement with the Lakers.

Harrell already plays an energizer-rebounding role. Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Kyle Kuzma are typically maximized at the 4 spot. "When they get fully healthy, it's gonna be a logjam," said one assistant general manager. 

But as Cleveland officials can attest, Drummond maintained a keen interest in getting back on the court and seeing a large quantity of minutes. "Drummond wants to play right away," said one executive with knowledge of the situation.

The Lakers are in dire need of Drummond's offensive output as James and Davis linger on the sidelines, and he's prepared to log 30 minutes per night, even after missing over a month of live game action. "His timing might be a little off, but he keeps himself in really good shape," said the aforementioned exec.  

There appears to be a level of transparency on both sides. Drummond's marriage with the Lakers will likely be short-lived. Los Angeles can provide him a platform to contribute for the reigning champions' title defense before he reaches unrestricted free agency. That's a stage that Boston, staring up at Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Milwaukee, seems one or two levels behind.

Players up and down the Lakers roster reached out expressing their want to team with Drummond.

There's still a fair amount of doubt among league personnel whether Drummond can truly impact the Lakers winning games. He's reached only two postseasons, and for all his impressive rebounding accomplishments, the data has always suggested Drummond's bark might be louder than the bite of his numbers.

The 2016-17 Pistons, for example, had a plus-10.5-point differential swing with Aron Baynes on the court compared to a minus-11.6-point swing with Drummond. He has been a net positive on the floor with a 0.3-point swing in 2021, although his doubters in the analytics community are quick to point out metrics that suggest his teams may be better at rebounding when Drummond is on the bench. 

But Drummond has never played in such a contending environment, and the same fit questions apply across the map of this year's other title contenders. Aaron Gordon's experiment in Denver may push the Nuggets to another echelon, or it could disrupt the blooming chemistry Michael Porter Jr. has found alongside Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. The Sixers chose to acquire George Hill rather than pay Toronto's price for Kyle Lowry, although Hill hasn't played since Jan. 24 as he's nursed an ailing right thumb injury.  

Brooklyn famously continues compiling former All-Stars to join its starry triumvirate, and the Nets are being billed as the odds-on favorite for the championship, even with Kevin Durant still sidelined. 

But at this juncture, Brooklyn's strong title chances, and this subsequent arms race around the league—from Drummond in Los Angeles to, lest we forget, Milwaukee adding P.J. Tucker and more reinforcements seeming on the way—all thanks to a certain bearded individual.

    

Jake Fischer covers the NBA for Bleacher Report and is the author of Built to Lose: How the NBA's Tanking Era Changed the League Forever.

Fresh off signing with the Los Angeles Lakers on the buyout market, center Andre Drummond has a very short list of priorities as he joins the defending NBA champions. 

"I'm not here to do anything besides win," Drummond told reporters Monday. 

Andre Drummond has a message for the Lakers Family 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/qLblIuRUm3

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 29, 2021

The 27-year-old finally has a chance to play for a ring after spending the first 10 years of his career with rebuilding clubs in Detroit and Cleveland. He doesn't appear to be taking that lightly. Not after a decade in the league without a playoff win to show for it. 

That was a major factor in why he decided to join the Lakers.

"For me personally just having that playoff experience, but not that success," Drummond said. "It's something I was hungry for." 

Given the way he's played this year, Drummond should have plenty of opportunities to satisfy his appetite. 

The UConn product averaged 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds in 25 games with Cleveland before his buyout. Yet more than the individual numbers, Drummond gives a banged-up Lakers team another supremely talented big man it can rely on.

With Anthony Davis (Achilles) still sidelined, Drummond's importance can hardly be overstated with the Lakers sliding in the Western Conference standings over the past few weeks. He'll be arguably more vital when both Davis and LeBron James (ankle) return. Los Angeles' frontcourt will be able to go toe-to-toe with any opponent based on its size, shooting and agility. And if Drummond can help make life easier for Davis by the rim, the Lakers' title defense will get significantly easier. 

"I think our defense is going to be really crazy when those guys come back," Drummond said. "I'm looking forward to it. ... My defensive game is going to help this team a lot—my quick feet, my quick hands." 

After sitting out since February, Drummond might not make an immediate debut. The Lakers play against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday at Staples Center, but Drummond's status is in doubt.

Whenever he takes the floor it'll be the start of a new phase in his career—one that hopefully includes more winning than the last one did.    

 

The buyout market might have played a significant role in determining the 2021 NBA championship, which has caused complaints from small-market teams.

"The system is flawed," a small-market general manager told Howard Beck of Sports Illustrated. "You shouldn't be adding to your team this deep in a season without giving things up."

The Brooklyn Nets added veterans LaMarcus Aldridge and Blake Griffin after they agreed to buyouts with the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons, respectively. Andre Drummond signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday after parting ways with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"You're just helping the rich get richer," another small-market GM said.

Players are free to sign with any team once they agree to a buyout, but they tend to gravitate toward title contenders.

"Without a doubt, players that are entering the buyout market will only be looking at contending teams," a team executive said. "And most of the time, historically, their preference has been to go to the teams in the bigger markets."

The situation has this season benefitted the Nets and Lakers, who were both able to add veteran depth without giving up anything in trades. The cost was also low, with Drummond's contract reportedly just $794,536, per Bobby Marks of ESPN.

On the other hand, small-market teams had the opportunity to acquire any of the players through trades before a buyout. Drummond was held out of games from mid-February with the Cavaliers looking for any deal.

The buyouts are also often a result of bad contracts teams need to get off their books. It's a situation even the Lakers and Nets have dealt with, including players like Luol Deng or Deron Williams. 

Once the players become free agents, it's hard to blame them for choosing the opportunity to compete for a title or play alongside superstars such as LeBron James or Kevin Durant.

Still, it creates more inefficiency for the small-market teams already struggling to compete in the NBA.

Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel is seemingly excited about the addition of Andre Drummond, calling the two-time All-Star "one of the best centers in the league."  

"We're all thrilled that Andre Drummond, a player of his caliber, joined our team," Vogel told reporters after Sunday's 96-93 win over the Orlando Magic. "He's one of the best centers in the league, someone that every defensive coordinator is going to have to account for and figure out how to handle him while they’re trying slow down AD, LeBron and our guards.

"I think he’s going to give us a big lift in the immediate future and when we get going. He's just one of those guys that can dominate the game on both sides of the ball and his physicality [is] something you have to account for."

Drummond officially agreed to sign with the Lakers on Sunday after clearing waivers following a buyout from the Cleveland Cavaliers. The 27-year-old big man sat out more than a month while the Cavs attempted to find a trade partner.

It's expected that Drummond will replace Marc Gasol as the Lakers' starting center. Gasol has looked past his prime since signing with the Lakers this offseason, averaging 4.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 38 games. He recently missed nearly a month of action after being diagnosed with COVID-19.

Drummond will allow the Lakers to return to their bully-ball style they used successfully with JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard playing center in the 2020 playoffs. Whereas Gasol is mostly a floor spacer on offense and uses his basketball IQ to avoid being a negative on defense, Drummond is a good athlete who hawks rebounds and can catch lobs in the dunker spot.

Assuming Drummond is willing to forgo the inefficient post-ups that have been regular fixtures in his career, he'll be a quality signing who could put the Lakers over the top in their title defense. Their more glaring immediate concern will be the recovery of Anthony Davis (Achilles) and LeBron James (ankle) from injuries. 

The Los Angeles Lakers added some much-needed post depth in the form of Andre Drummond after the veteran center cleared waivers Sunday.

Andre Drummond intends to sign with the Lakers once he clears waivers, per @wojespn

From B/R x @AmericanExpress https://t.co/9U8GFItEh0

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 28, 2021

Drummond reached a buyout with the Cleveland Cavaliers after his team was unable to trade him before last Thursday's deadline.

It gives the team some added flexibility with its lineups when healthy and some valuable depth with stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis currently dealing with injuries.

     

Lakers' Full Strength Lineup

PG: Dennis Schroder, Alex Caruso

SG: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Wesley Matthews

SF: LeBron James, Talen Horton-Tucker

PF: Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma, Markieff Morris

C: Andre Drummond, Montrezl Harrell, Marc Gasol

     

Kyle Kuzma has been in and out of the starting lineup this year but will likely remain there going forward until James returns to full strength. Markieff Morris has also been starting and can stick in this role with Davis unavailable.

Talen Horton-Tucker should continue to see increased minutes off the bench until the squad is back to full strength.

Drummond will be especially valuable in the short term as an upgrade over Marc Gasol, who is averaging 4.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Though Gasol's defensive presence shouldn't be overlooked, Drummond is a much bigger threat with his averages of 17.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game this year with Cleveland. The two-time All-Star can help generate more offense that is often missing without the team's two best players.

Head coach Frank Vogel said last week Davis is still "a ways away," while James is reportedly out four to six weeks with a high ankle sprain, per Shams Charania of Stadium.

The latest addition can help weather the storm and keep the Lakers high in the standings.

More importantly, the move also gives Los Angeles more options for the postseason when everyone is healthy.

Even with the NBA moving away from traditional centers, Drummond can bully teams inside while making a major impact on the boards. It could also free Davis to play the 4, where he is most comfortable.

If the matchup dictates, Vogel can always go with smaller lineups as he did during the run to the title last postseason.

It's a low-risk move that makes the Lakers better and deeper for the playoff run.