The Boston Celtics don’t have many frontcourt options to acquire, with the NBA Trade Deadline coming in merely days. One of the few options available is acquiring Chicago Bulls center Andre Drummond, who makes $3.3 million this season. Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes proposed a trade that would send Drummond to the Celtics.
Hughes outlined how trade would be possible in a February 5 story.
Celtics get: Drummond
Bulls get: Bulls 2024 second-round pick, Mavericks 2024 second-round pick
Hughes explained why he sees Drummond as an upgrade over Luke Kornet.
“The Celtics already have Luke Kornet on the depth chart, but Drummond’s recent play shows he’d be an upgrade to arguably the East’s best team. The 30-year-old banger is averaging 7.7 points and 8.3 rebounds in only 15.8 minutes per game, giving him absurd per-36 averages of 17.6 points and 18.9 boards.”
Hughes also dispelled any concern the Celtics would have with bringing Drummond in, knowing one of his biggest red flags.
“The 55.8 percent free-throw shooting is a concern, but it’s hard to imagine hack-a-Drummond will come into play if he’s never on the floor for crunch-time minutes in the postseason.”
Given Drummond’s inexpensive contract, there aren’t that many available centers with the same skill level and talent that Drummond has who are as inexpensive as he is.
Celtics Interested in Andre Drummond: Report
Andre Drummond is a trade target for the Celtics. He’s not the only player that they want, either. HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported that the Celtics want Drummond while noting how affordable he is than their other targets.
“Boston has expressed interest in a wide range of trade targets, including Kelly Olynyk, Delon Wright, Andre Drummond, and others, league sources told HoopsHype,” Scotto reported in a February 5 story. “Drummond would fit the parameters of Boston’s current compensation package above, while Olynyk and Wright would likely cost more.”
The Celtics can straight up absorb Drummond and his contract into the $6.2. million Grant Williams trade exception. Olynyk and Wright make more than the said exception, as Olynyk makes $12.2 million and Wright makes $8.2 million. The Celtics can acquire them, but they would have to do so by different means.
Also, because he’s on an expiring contract, Drummond could be had for less than what he’s worth. That could make him more appealing as a target compared to Olynyk and Wright.
Bulls Insider Says They May Trade Andre Drummond
The Chicago Sun-Times Joe Cowley reported that the Bulls may trade Andre Drummond if they find a deal they like.
“The growing opinion is that if LaVine can’t be traded, the Bulls likely will make a smaller tweak to the existing lineup, possibly moving center Andre Drummond if the right deal presents itself,” Cowley wrote in a February 2 story.
Drummond’s contract is expiring, and he doesn’t make much compared to other NBA players. That factors into why Cowley gives it a 60% chance that the Bulls trade Drummond.
“Contending teams would love the idea of adding Drummond as a backup big and another body to throw at the likes of the 76ers’ Joel Embiid or the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic in a playoff series. The veteran center has been a stellar rebounder for the Bulls, and his contract is expiring. Don’t expect much back, however — maybe a young, struggling big and a second-round pick at best.”
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Proposed Trade Sends Celtics ‘Upgrade’ at Backup Center