Even after acquiring Andre Drummond from the Detroit Pistons, the Clevleland Cavaliers are apparently keeping Kevin Love and buying out Tristan Thompson.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are keeping Kevin Love while working to buy out Tristan Thompson.
Thompson became the obvious odd man out after the team acquired Andre Drummond from the Detroit Pistons prior to Thursday’s trade deadline. A buyout was not initially thought to be a possibility, but it appears to be headed in that direction. This will allow Thompson to move to a contending team and the Cavs to properly evaluate Andre Drummond and his fit with their current roster.
Kevin Love was someone that many went back and forth on whether or not Cleveland would actually trade him. Cleveland said that they were going to hang onto him, but that didn’t stop the trade rumors.
Cleveland is still near the bottom of the Eastern Conference, but they are doing what they can to put together players they view as productive. Drummond will replace Thompson in the starting lineup after the buyout is complete. The starting five should now feature Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Cedi Osman, Kevin Love, and Andre Drummond. While it is not drastically different, it does give Cleveland an opportunity to look towards the future. Thompson was not expected to stay in Cleveland beyond this season, moving on is best for everyone here. There is the possibly that the Cavs work with Drummond to keep him in town. Drummond is still a young player (26) and can help with the development of Cleveland’s young guards.
UPDATE
Apparently there will not be a buyout for Tristan Thompson per David Aldridge.
This creates an interesting situation with their rotation as they will have two starting caliber centers on the roster. While Thompson has come off the bench previously, that was during the time when the Cavaliers were competing for a title. This is not that time. Exactly how the minutes are distributed will be interesting as the season plays out.
