With the March 25 trade deadline just 10 days away, we’ll soon find out whether the Cavaliers are right to believe they can find a worthwhile trade for Andre Drummond. Sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic that Cleveland continues to seek a modest asset, such as a second-round pick, for Drummond, while rival teams are skeptical that such an offer will be available.
For the time being, the Cavaliers remain opposed to the idea of buying out Drummond, but if that ultimately becomes their most viable option, the Lakers and Nets would be the center’s top suitors once he clears waivers, writes Charania.
One other scenario to watch would involve the Knicks. According to Charania, New York has explored the possibility of pursuing Drummond and has mulled offering him a multiyear deal if agrees to a buyout with Cleveland. The Knicks still have about $15MM in cap room this season, meaning the club could offer more years and more money than rival suitors for Drummond on the buyout market.
If Drummond is bought out and signs with a team like the Lakers or Nets, he’d enter free agency this offseason coming off a minimum-salary contract (or something close to it) and would only have Non-Bird rights, limiting his options on the open market. As such, he could be intrigued by the idea of getting a jump-start on free agency by signing an in-season multiyear deal with the Knicks.
Charania’s report is light on additional details, so it remains to be seen just how strong an offer the Knicks would be willing to make in that scenario — they’d probably have to go into the mid-level range or higher for Drummond to seriously consider it. It’s also unclear whether New York is focused only on buyout scenarios or if the club will make an effort to trade for the Cavs big man.
First
Shouldn’t you be in Spring Training figuring out how to steal signs without getting caught… again?
I really dont see Drummond helping Knicks so much more than Noel and/or Gibson
They’re both gone after the season. The whole point would be to wrap Drummond up for longer.
I get that, but why? He is basically a negative asset, thats way he was so cheap to leave Detroit and maybe bought out in Cleveland
His contract, not his play made him untradable.
Fair enough. But playing wise, is he that much better than Noel? Imo no, thats why i hope Knicks dont get him
So you wouldn’t want a guy who got 17-13-1 ?
@mrshyguy99 posting negative metrics on both sides of the court….he posts empty stat lines on bad teams. Hence why he hasn’t been traded yet, all while being paid 28 million per season. He will be lucky to get anything more than a minimum contract next offseason so if knicks are indeed willing to waste money on him he should take it.
Agreed. Noel is a better defender and so is Mitch. And the Knicks D has been central to their season, so I wouldn’t give up anything for Drummond
Regarding his play, that too is a factor. While he’s good at piling up the stats on bad teams, his defense is atrocious and he’s too slow to play the position well enough. He’s simply not worth the contract or long term commitment, nor the right player the Knicks should be focusing on for a rebuild.
I don’t know why but I think he would do well with the Knicks. He’s a top three rebounder and gets a good amount of offensive rebounds and overall better than Noel. Noel can’t catch a pass and has terrrible hands.
Correct me if I am wrong but wouldn’t Drummond just absolutely kill Mitchell Robinson’s value in New York?
IDK about kill … Mitch is the better player, so even if the Knicks got Drummond he should still player over him.
But if Thibs went with the Vets Over Everything strategy, then yeah it would be no good for Mitch
I don’t see the real benefit of Cleveland buying him out. He’s not going to leave much money on the table, so there won’t be THAT much of a cost savings. Trading him makes a lot of sense, but keeping him makes more sense than buying him out.
I hate buy outs. If teams say they wanna sign him in a buyout but not offer a trade, I would just not buy them out. They don’t really save money and just gift a team a good player. No one needs to do the Lakers any favors.
I agree. I think the buyout market is the most anti-competitive thing in all of sports. Good teams get players without giving anything up. Bad teams lose players without getting anything in return other than minimal cost savings.
If I was in charge, I would allow any buyout to occur, but if a player is bought out, he sits home until his contract was set to expire. Unless his new team was willing to pay his old team whatever the buyout cost was and fit it under their cap. It’s ridiculous that Blake Griffin is making $30 million this year, but only counts as a minimum salary for the Nets.
Both sides (players and owners/teams) benefit too much from it in order for any real significant change to happen to the rule. Players obviously benefit more from it, but its gives teams an out if both parties wanted out for whatever reason.
That is why I said IF I was in charge. The chances of me actually becoming an NBA autocrat are practically nil. But it’s fun to imagine.
I would also be saying things like it doesn’t matter if the players don’t like something because they are employees. Employees do not get to make the rules, they get to follow them. And it wouldn’t matter if the owners didn’t like something, because they are not the boss, they are franchisees. They have to follow the rules of the corporation too.
Eh, I think it’s overblown. The fact is if Griffin was a FA to start the year and signed with the Nets for the minimum no one would bat an eye, maybe even laud him for taking a discount.
Griffin and Drummond are apparently such huge difference makers they will drastically shift the championship race, yet could hardly even make a difference for two of the worst teams in the league.
No one would laud him. Big name players that try to join championship teams are never lauded and most of the time they are vilified.
Besides, that isn’t the case here. The fact is that Griffin is getting paid a huge salary this season, but very little of it is counting against the cap for the Nets. And if he signed before the season, he would not know where the Nets would be in the standings. Signing this way in midseason is just a way strengthening the top of the standings while giving virtually no chance to teams in lesser playoff positions.
The Knicks interest in Drummond makes sense, because they do not have any young up and coming centers to develop.
I mean, if they *did* have those young players, than this would be a foolish, win now move that would jeopardize the development of these younger players. Because it’s been reported multiple times the current Knicks head coach doesn’t like to play youngsters.
But since the Knicks don’t have any good young players at the five…(sarcasm)
They do, he is MRobinson. He is right now in the IL with a broken wrist. He is due in a couple of weeks. Noel is the backup center.
You missed my sarcasm comment.
Also, I’m sure you’re right that Robinson will get lots of run with both Noel and Drummond on the roster. (More sarcasm)
Noel is on expiring deal. Can easily be moved. Taj is hurt out at least 2 wks. Mitch is out and will need time to heal and gm shape. He can take his time with Drummond here. Mitch will be out another 4 wks minimum.Drummond won’t cost much and if Thibs likes him. He could stay. Knicks are 28th in scoring. And in bottom ten in FG attempts and FG made and FG%. His 17 pts are huge for the team. Huge for Randle n RJ. Team game. Knicks are top 5 D team.
What happen to top 3 commenter is he banned? Hope he is ok
I don’t see Drummond’s appeal for the Knicks, either short or long term. But even if they like him, it can’t be to the degree that they’d try to get ahead of this summer’s FA market in the manner suggested. I’d rather do a trade for modest consideration and have his Bird rights (at his current level) that way. Locking into him longer term now, or trying to bribe him into accepting a deal designed to create NB rights at some interim level, is a poor use of their cap space.
If we trade for him and have his Bird rights. We can still sign FA Cause we will have over 55 mill in space. And we can sign our own FA to go over. That’s why you trade for him. Won’t cost much and we do t have to resign him. Just insurance for a playoff run. Mitch will be out for 4 more wks minimum. We could fall out of top 8-10 teams.
I like how you guys call 13 mill minimal savings like you just have 13 mill laying around, no big deal.
I guess all mediocre players with name recognition are going to get rumored to go to the Knicks until 3/25
Other than maybe Reddick I haven’t heard one yet that makes much sense for NY
I can think of 20-24mpg he could play for the Bucks, but that would obviously require a buy out to happen, and I wouldn’t sink any long term money into him after this season.
Wherever he goes this season, I’m betting he gets either 1 year or 1+1 offers in free agency.
True Milwaukee’s depth has been pretty meh so rolling the vet min on Drummond would probably be a good gamble for them
I could also see LAL making some sense if it goes the buyout route
Dre would make a lot of sense in NYK, they haven’t had a starting caliber center is sooo many years!
IQ, RJ, JR & Dre would be a nice building block for the Knix movin’ forward!
As I posted on a different article, I could see the Knicks making it work via trade. The Knicks have enough cap room to make the deal if the Cavs take Ntilikina and Burks. To free the roster space, Cavs could trade McGee to the Nets first for a second rounder. McGee would fit in Dinwiddie’s DPE. Nets wouldn’t have any intention to sign Drummond beyond this year where the Knicks would. Also, McGee wouldn’t require the “ramp up” period that Drummond would. Like Griffin, he was sent home.
Those deals would get both the Cavs and the Knicks to right around the non-taxpayer limit.
Reb is defense. Means no second shots. He can guard centers and the middle. Thibs will make him a better defender. Mitch is hurt and Taj is too. Noel is more a 4 who plays the 5. He can be traded for value (expiring contract). Drummond can be had for a second rd pick and expiring contracts. He helps us this yr in playoffs. If Thibs can work his magic on him. He’s from this area, he could sign for reasonable contract. Mitch is still young and gets in foul trouble. If not we can just let him go at end of yr or do a sign n trade. Imo Thibs just wants to make sure we have bigs for playoffs. Won’t cost much. He plays 29 mins. 17.5 pts, 13.5 reb. Thibs will know what do do with that. Another guaranteed 17 pts a gm helps RJ n Randle. Mitch will need time to heal too. Our team offense is bad. Any help there makes us a lot better.
If he gets bought out, he would solve a lot of the Heat’s issues with size.