Andre Drummond still one of NBA’s most sought-after targets
By Duncan Smith
After a polarizing season, Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond is still among the NBA’s most sought-after players, according to Matt Moore of CBS Sports.
Andre Drummond didn’t take a big leap forward like Detroit Pistons fans had hoped this past season after a breakout 2015-16 campaign, but the rest of the NBA still has their eyes on him. While his value on the trade market is surely not at an all-time high, Drummond is still a desirable player.
According to Matt Moore of CBS Sports, Andre Drummond checks in at 12th on his list of the top 30 most-wanted players.
Per Moore:
"Drummond is a surprise on this list on two levels: Being on it at all as being trade targeted, and being this low. Two years ago, he he looked like a top-five center but this past season, he’s slid big time. Things got so bad between Drummond and Stan Van Gundy that trade rumors popped up though the Pistons have been adamant in quelling them."
If it sounds hyperbolic to consider Drummond a top-five center two seasons ago, consider that he was tied with Al Horford for fourth in ESPN’s Real Plus Minus among centers and led the league in rebounding. The rebounding didn’t drop off, but Drummond took no significant steps forward. Most likely this is due in large part to some discontinuity at the point guard position, but he didn’t carry the team like many were beginning to think he should by this point.
Moore continues:
"But if he is available, he’s still a freak of nature who can rebound and dunk on pick and rolls, and whose defensive upside is yet to be tapped. If he gets there on that end, he would be dominant.That said, he’s also a guy who completely vanishes for games, and even weeks at a time, and it no longer seems just like youthful inconsistency but an actual flaw in competitive focus."
Moore is correct that all the pieces are there for Drummond to become one of the most dominant big men in the league, minus the historically bad free throw shooting. The physical tools are there, the raw elements are in place, but they haven’t come together as expected.
Drummond’s trade value is affected by his hefty price tag. He’s due about $105 million over the next four seasons, so there are opportunities for teams to take a cheap flyer on him. That said, it’s very likely that his best possible situation is in Detroit, and that the Detroit Pistons are better off trying to figure out the best possible way to use his skills properly than they are shipping him out for a likely disproportionate return.
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You can follow Matt at @HPbasketball and find his work on CBSSports.com.