Trade rumors: Charlotte Hornets interested in Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond

Fit and potential trades

There should be mutual interest, as Deveney suggests. Charlotte has a young core developing at guard and on the wing. Drummond, 26, would provide stability in the middle and be a strong pick-and-roll option for Rozier and Graham. It’s just a matter of if the Hornets want to go for it now or wait until free agency.

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Charlotte is 6-8 and sits a half-game behind injury-ridden Orlando for the eighth seed of the playoffs. Drummond would not only help the Hornets this season but they could extend him beyond. But it would come at a price for Drummond which is beyond his control.

Drummond is on an All-NBA pace, averaging 18.6 points, 16.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.6 steals per game. All except for steals are on pace to be career highs. He’s also hitting a career-best 69.4% from the free throw line. If he were to be traded, he wouldn’t be eligible for the supermax if he made an All-NBA team, Deveney said.

But he lacks a no-trade clause so if the Pistons get a deal they like, they can ship him off and Drummond would be out of luck.

Detroit has been stuck in mediocrity for awhile. The Pistons have teetered around the eight seed but not being good enough to land a top 5 pick. Gores wants to compete and is willing to spend money but it hasn’t panned out to anything other than a first-round sweep.

With Reggie Jackson out, Griffin returning from a knee injury, Derrick Rose having to have his minutes managed, it’s a genuine concern if the Pistons will ever be at full strength. If they continue to fall towards the bottom of the standings, starting the rebuild could be ignited by trading Drummond.

This is a high asking price from the Pistons who, admittedly, should probably start here in negotiations. But the salaries match and it’s a best-case scenario for both teams to maintain depth moving forward.

Biyombo and Kidd-Gilchrist are simply salary fillers and could help the Pistons by filling a void at center and adding depth on the wing. Monk is the prized possession for the future along with a likely protected first-round pick. Martin is a buy-low candidate.

With Charlotte’s unique salaries, matching Drummond’s salary while including young players gets tricky so adding Langston Galloway is purely to match salaries, even though he’s off to a great start this season.

Time will tell what the Pistons do as the clock is ticking and their performances of late have been uninspiring, losers of five straight entering Friday’s game against Atlanta.