Ex-Sixers Big Man Considered Likely Trade Deadline Asset

Getty Ben Simmons and Andre Drummond, formerly of the Philadelphia 76ers

Marc Stein revealed through his substack the latest he’s been hearing regarding NBA trade rumors as of January 27. Among what he’s been hearing is that former Philadelphia 76ers center Andre Drummond is a likely trade candidate.

“Do not be surprised, league sources say, if the Bulls move former All-Star center Andre Drummond before the Feb. 9 trade. Drummond has been allotted fewer than 15 minutes in each of Chicago’s past 12 games,” Stein said.

Drummond played for the Sixers during the 2021-22 season before being included in the trade package going back to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for James Harden. In 36 games with the Bulls this season, Drummond has averaged 6.1 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 61 percent from the field.

Drummond is slated to make $3.2 million this season with a player option for $3.4 million next season, so his contract would be inexpensive to acquire should the Sixers be interested in bringing him back.

Sixers Could Trade ‘Next to Nothing’ for Drummond

On a January 14 episode of “Pullin’ Up With Keith Smith and Adam Taylor,” Smith brought up that the Sixers could potentially strike up a deal with the Bulls to get Drummond back and cheaply on top of that.

“I wouldn’t be shocked fully if it turned into a, ‘You know what, let’s get Andre Drummond back,’” Smith said. “So he is a guy whose contract has expired, and he signed with the Bulls. If the Bulls say, ‘Yeah, backup center is a luxury for us because we’re not very good,’ Philly could go trade for Drummond for next to nothing. And that could be, you know, this was because he played really well for Philadelphia a year ago.”

Besides Drummond’s prior experience, Smith explained that the Sixers may need him because of their current lack of depth behind Joel Embiid.

“If Embiid goes down for any length of time, which unfortunately tends to happen with him, you cannot be rolling with PJ Tucker or Montrezl Harrell as your only fives that you trust on the roster. Paul Reed is completely fallen out of the rotation. They’re not doing anything with him. So they’re gonna come away with whether it’s on the buyout market or something or do a minor trade or something.”

Given his inexpensive contract and his willingness to accept a backup role since joining the Sixers last season, Drummond may have plenty of suitors on the trade market.

Drummond’s Thoughts on Playing for Sixers

In an interview with Ky Carlin of SixersWire, Drummond detailed how he felt embraced by the Sixers’ fanbase when he played for the team.

“I think just how much of a family this organization is. They welcomed me, they made me feel very comfortable when I got here. As a team we just had a lot of fun as a team. We really cared about each other. We had one common goal, which is to win as many games as possible and be great. I’m sad that we had to break things up in February,” Drummond said.

Drummond added that he misses playing for the Sixers and how much he enjoyed playing for Doc Rivers.

“I definitely miss playing here. I had a lot of fun playing for Doc, somebody who I’ve known since a boy and have so much respect for him, so to have the chance to play for him was awesome for me. The city of Philadelphia, man, the fan base is one of a kind. I loved it here.”