The Cleveland Cavaliers would like keep Andre Drummond in town on a deal that might not be all that enticing.
The future of Andre Drummond in Cleveland has been questionable since the moment he arrived via trade last season. Cleveland’s recent acquisition of Jarrett Allen seemed to signal an inevitable departure of the Cavaliers big man. It appears that the door has not closed in regards to Drummond remaining in Cleveland. Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer was answering fan provided questions in regards to Drummond and any potential of a new contract developing. Pluto had this to say in regards to the Cavs and Drummond.
“The Cavs would love to sign Drummond to something like a four-year, $60 million deal. But I doubt he’ll take it. He is making $28 million on the last year of a max contract he signed with Detroit. “
Terry Pluto in regards to the Cavs and Andre Drummond
There are two sides to consider with this, the first being the value of the contract. This is something Pluto addresses at the beginning of his answer. The fact a four-year deal is worth just barely over two times as much as his salary this year may not be enticing. On the other hand the fact that a player like Andre Drummond has been considered somewhat obsolete in the modern-NBA could bring his number down. Perhaps the Cavaliers and Drummond could find some middle ground between the number mentioned by Pluto and what Drummond desires.
The presence of Jarrett Allen
There is one other moving part in the equation, Jarrett Allen. Cleveland did just acquire Allen from Brooklyn and is a player with a ton of upside to build around. Of course this applies if the Cavs do move on from Drummond. An important piece of information to consider is that Allen is a restricted free agent after the year which means there is a chance he could leave.
It is going to be up to the Cavs and GM Koby Altman to evaluate the situation and determine their best path moving forward. Is Cleveland’s center of the future Drummond or Allen? What if the Cavs go against the grain and keep both? Things could get interesting sooner rather than later as the Cavaliers are building the foundation for their future.
