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Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
Last updated: 9/30/2019
Summary
In 2020 the Pistons essentially traded Drummond away as a salary dump, despite him only being 26 years old and a two-time All-Star. While part of that was just due to his big contract making it harder to trade him, the reality was that Drummond never developed enough on either end to really be a franchise player. Despite putting up solid numbers for the Cavs to start the '20-'21 season, the Cavs were unable to find a trade partner for Drummond and ended up buying him out, leading to Drummond signing with the Lakers.
Drummond is not the lob threat that he was when he was younger, and those that compared him to Dwight Howard were always overstating Drummond's athleticism. He also never became the defensive presence that many had hoped, as his instincts on that end aren't good enough to make him a great rim protector.
He's always been a high-rebounding player, although there has been some debate about the value of his rebounding. There were many season in Detroit in which the Pistons rebounded better when Drummond was off the court. The thinking there is that it doesn't matter who gets the rebound, as long as your team does, so certain players like Robin Lopez and Steven Adams who box out their man and let their teammates grab rebounds are actually more valuable than guys like Drummond. However, Drummond has also been a really good offensive rebounder, which is almost always a positive as it's hard to "steal" offensive rebounds from teammates.
He's a legitimate big body that can bully smaller players down low, and has nice touch around the rim. Drummond actually has some off-the-dribble ability, although he can sometimes get a little too carried away with that. While he's not exactly Nikola Jokic, he does have some passing ability from the high-post. Drummond will be going into his age-28 season in '21-'22, so teams may be wary of giving him a long-term deal, but he should still be able to contribute for the next couple years at least.
Cap Considerations
Drummond will be an unrestricted free agent with a $1.7 million cap hold and Non-Bird Rights. This means that the highest starting salary the Lakers could offer him using the Non-Bird Exception is $2.9 million. Alternatively, the Lakers could use their Mid-Level Exception to re-sign Drummond if he demands more than $2.9 million.
If Drummond demands a starting salary of more than the full $9.5 million Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception, only teams with cap space will be able to sign him. It is possible that Drummond could be had for the full MLE or less.
Potential Teams: Hornets, Lakers, Spurs, Raptors, Kings
Predicted Contract: 2-year, $10.1 million (player option) with the Hornets
Actual Contract: 1-year, $2.4 million ($1.7 million cap hit) with the 76ers
Even though I'm not the biggest fan of Drummond's game, I was surprised that he ended up settling for a minimum contract.
Last updated: 8/17/2021
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