Andre Drummond

Despite not making a big splash prior to the trade deadline on Thursday, the Boston Celtics aren't done trying to improve their roster for a potential playoff push. 

Per Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe, the Celtics "intend to pursue" Andre Drummond once his buyout with the Cleveland Cavaliers becomes official. 

Himmelsbach noted that the Celtics tried to acquire Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon from the Orlando Magic, but the Magic opted to go with trade offers from the Chicago Bulls for Vucevic and Denver Nuggets for Gordon. 

Boston has built a reputation for being involved in trade talks for marquee players, but no deals have materialized in recent years. The most-notable deal pulled off by general manager Danny Ainge was for Kyrie Irving in July 2017 when he sent Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and a 2018 first-round draft pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

This season, in particular, seemed like an opportunity for the Celtics to make a bold, aggressive move. They have disappointed thus far with a 21-23 record, eighth in the Eastern Conference. 

Drummond hasn't played for the Cavs since Feb. 12 as the team worked to find a potential trade partner for the two-time All-Star. 

No deal ultimately materialized for Cleveland. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Friday that Drummond and the Cavs reached an agreement on a buyout. 

Even though Drummond isn't a difference-maker at this stage of his career, he would fill a need for the Celtics. They rank 17th in the NBA with 43.8 rebounds per game. 

Drummond is averaging 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game in 25 starts for the Cavs this season. 

Andre Drummond's time with the Cleveland Cavaliers has come to an end.

Cleveland will work out a buyout with the big man after the team failed to trade him before Thursday's deadline, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks are the leaders for potential suitors, per Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

The Cavaliers acquired Drummond via a trade from the Detroit Pistons last season, but he was set for unrestricted free agency following the 2020-21 campaign. He likely wasn't staying with the team long-term, so this move allows the Cavs to get out ahead of his departure.

Cleveland also had slightly more team control when it comes to fellow big man Jarrett Allen, who is a restricted free agent after this season. He is also 22 years old compared to the 27-year-old Drummond, so it may be in the Cavaliers' best interest to keep the younger player as they attempt to build a long-term contender in the Eastern Conference.

Along those lines, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst reported in February that the Cavaliers planned on sitting Drummond until they could work out a trade, in part because they saw Allen as the center of the future.

While Drummond played just eight games for Cleveland in 2019-20, he established himself as an automatic double-double this season. He averaged 17.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.6 steals per game in 25 appearances.

Despite the impressive numbers, there are valid concerns about his game in today's era. The UConn product is a poor free-throw shooter and is not much of a factor in pick-and-pops because of an inability to hit from three-point range. Opponents who play smaller and quicker lineups against him can also exploit matchup problems.

Still, Drummond can control the boards like few players in the NBA while scoring on the blocks and protecting the rim.

The two-time All-Star and four-time rebounding champion averaged 14.4 points, 13.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game during his seven-plus seasons with the Pistons and has averaged a double-double every season of his career outside of his rookie campaign in 2012-13.

Drummond is a traditional big playing in an era when the league has largely moved away from his style of play, but he can stuff the stat sheet and impact the game in a number of ways for whichever team signs him down the stretch.

The New York Knicks have reportedly emerged as a "serious potential destination" for Andre Drummond ahead of Thursday's NBA trade deadline.

Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer reported the Knicks' interest in the Cleveland Cavaliers big man. Conventional wisdom had the Cavs reaching a buyout agreement with Drummond after the deadline. Drummond has not been in the lineup for more than a month as Cleveland had seemingly unsuccessful trade talks with other organizations.

The Knicks have around $17 million in available salary-cap space, making their path to adding Drummond via trade clearer than any other NBA team. They still don't have much in terms of obvious matching salary to add up to the $11 million needed to match Drummond's $28 million salary.

A combination of Frank Ntilikina, Nerlens Noel and another contract would get the job done, but it's hard to find the incentive from a Knicks perspective. Drummond would bring offensive production and rebounding to the middle of the offense. That said, his presence would take significant playing time away from Mitchell Robinson, who recently returned from a broken hand.

The 22-year-old is a potential defensive cornerstone in the middle, particularly if he reaches his potential under Tom Thibodeau. Drummond is who he is—an excellent rebounder and dunker who largely delivers empty-calorie numbers in the modern NBA. If the Knicks can get away with trading away players who aren't part of their long-term planning for Drummond, it's a fine enough move to add a veteran for Thibodeau's desired playoff push.

However, it's probably not the most prudent long-term move if the Knicks are committed to Robinson's continued development. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers' Andre Drummond may be changing teams at some point prior to Thursday's trade deadline, but the New York Knicks reportedly aren't looking like the potential landing spot. 

According to Ian Begley of SNY, "a majority" of those within the Knicks organization do not believe Drummond would be a good fit. Begley also pointed out that head coach Tom Thibodeau is a fan of Mitchell Robinson in the frontcourt, which is another contributing factor to why New York may not trade for Drummond.

The report suggests the most likely scenario is the Cavs buying out Drummond's contract before he joins either the Los Angeles Lakers or Brooklyn Nets.

The story with Drummond is a familiar one at this point.

He is probably more valuable in fantasy basketball than he is on the actual court for a playoff contender because of his issues on the free-throw line and as an outside shooter. Without a reliable shot from even deeper mid-range, Drummond rarely works in any type of pick-and-pop scenario and is easier to defend than versatile bigs.

However, he is among the best rebounders in the league and essentially an automatic double-double at his best.

The two-time All-Star and four-time rebounding champion is averaging 17.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game this season but has not appeared in a contest for the Cavaliers since Feb. 12.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst reported in February that Cleveland decided it would no longer play Drummond so it could attempt to work out a trade and give more minutes to the younger Jarrett Allen.

It seems as if the Knicks have some concerns with how Drummond would fit in their rotation, though they would at least be a better rebounding club with him in the frontcourt.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Montrezl Harrell has reportedly been "involved in some trade discussions" the team is having ahead of the 2021 NBA trade deadline on Thursday. 

Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer reported Tuesday the Lakers could make a few moves as they prepare to take a run at Cleveland Cavaliers center Andre Drummond, who'll likely be bought out by the Cavs if a deal isn't found before the deadline.

Harrell signed with the Lakers as a free agent in November after spending the previous three years with the rival Los Angeles Clippers. He was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year last year and stepped into a similar key bench role after switching L.A. teams.

He's averaged 14.8 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 63.8 percent from the field across 44 appearances for the Lakers.

While Harrell has filled an important spot in the rotation, the team's front office heads into the deadline in a tricky situation.

Los Angeles must handle the short-term issues related to playing without superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who are both sidelined by injuries, with a focus on trying to make sure it doesn't fall outside the top six in the Western Conference to avoid the play-in tournament before the playoffs.

That said, the Lakers are still a top-tier championship contender when at full strength, so they likely won't want to sacrifice too much for upgrades to cover the next couple of weeks of games.

Harrell is a trade asset who could bring in a solid return for L.A., and he's more expendable if the team is confident Drummond will sign there after hitting the free-agent market following the expected buyout.

The Cavs' efforts to trade Drummond, two-time All-Star selection, have been hampered by his $28.8 million cap hit in the final season of his five-year, $127.2 million contract. He's been sitting out since mid-February while Cleveland tried to find a trade but nothing has come to fruition.

Although all signs point to an eventual buyout, and the Lakers are a perfect fit if he does become available, trading Harrell does come with risk should the Drummond plans not work out.

All told, Los Angeles is dealing with a lot of variables heading into the deadline. It could make a handful of trades and buyout signings to reshape their roster as they attempt to defend their title in the coming months.