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After months of trade rumors, Andre Drummond is finally on the move to the Cleveland Cavaliers for what appears to be a bit of a discount. The Cavs traded Brandon Knight, John Henson and a second-round pick to the Pistons for the big man, per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor.
The question for the Cavaliers now is how much they will be willing to spend to re-sign Drummond. Cleveland is unlikely to have made this deal without the intention to lock down the big man long-term.
Here is a look at the updated Cavaliers roster and projected starting lineup after the Drummond trade.
Cavaliers Roster & Projected Starting Lineup After Trade
C- Andre Drummond, Tristan Thompson, Ante Zizic, Marques Bolden
PF- Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr., Dean Wade
SF- Cedi Osman, Kevin Porter Jr., Dylan Windler
SG- Collin Sexton, Dante Exum, Matt Mooney
PG- Darius Garland, Matthew Dellavedova
The Cavs now have an interesting big man duo down low with Drummond teaming up with Kevin Love. The trade gives the Cavaliers’ young guards even more options via pick and roll plays for the second half of the season. Prior to the deadline, Drummond admitted that he did not know if he would get dealt by the Pistons.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Drummond noted, per ESPN. “I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m going to go to sleep tonight and wake up and find out what happens…I’ve been hearing that for the past four years. It don’t faze me.”
Drummond has put up monster numbers this season averaging 17.8 points, 15.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 blocks with the Pistons prior to the deal. The question with Drummond continues to be how he fits long-term in a changing NBA.
Drummond Posted Heartfelt Message About the Trade
Despite months of rumors, Drummond appeared to be caught off guard by the trade. To Drummond’s credit, his name has consistently been mentioned in rumors seemingly every trade deadline. Drummond took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the deal noting there is “no friends or loyalty” in the NBA.
“If there’s one thing I learned about the NBA, there’s no friends or loyalty. I’ve given my heart and soul to the Pistons , and to be have this happen with no heads up makes me realize even more that this is just a business! I love you Detroit…,” Drummond tweeted.
The trade gives John Beilein one more asset to build around in his first season as the Cavs head coach. The Cavaliers have been criticized for their play in the second half of games, but Darius Garland defended Beilein prior to the deadline.
“No. It’s just the flow of the game,” Garland noted, per Cleveland.com. “Most of the games we’re in it, we’re close at half, they make that big run in the second half. It’s not on coach at all. It’s just on us. We have to come out and be ready to go, make the first punch. Just come out with an intensity. We’ve been kinda sluggish coming out of the half. Just coming out, being ready to go, being aggressive from the jump.”
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