3. Toronto Raptors
Drummond could team up with another friend in Lowry in Toronto. Fortunately for the Raptors, they can simply plug him in Marc Gasol‘s spot and use Gasol’s $25.6 million expiring to expedite the trading process.
Pairing Drummond with Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby would create a formidable defensive threat while also adding the league’s top rebounder and strong passer. Perimeter players such as Lowry, Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell would benefit. Serge Ibaka coming off the bench provides frontcourt depth that gives the Raptors a legitimate shot against the East’s top teams for a brief run at the conference crown.
In the process, the Raptors would add Chris Boucher, a highly-productive player in short spurts. The forward turns 27 next Saturday and is solid on the defensive end with a 7.8% career block rate. His rebounding rate is 17.9% over 61 career games. His assist rate has spiked to 5.1% this season.
Adding a Raptors first in 2020 or 2021 doesn’t add a whole lot of value given they’d likely be contending with the aforementioned core in place, assuming Drummond picks up his player option or signs an extension. The 2022 first would likely have a higher value, even at a marginal protection.
If Drummond were to pick up his option or sign an extension, it could also leave an avenue for the Pistons to sign VanVleet as a restricted free agent, which they’ve already expressed interest in doing, by tying up Raptors money.