Cleveland Cavs: What the Andre Drummond trade means for the future

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CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 17: Kevin Love #0 Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Andre Drummond #0 of the Detroit Pistons fight for a rebound during the second half of the NBA Eastern Conference quarterfinals at Quicken Loans Arena on April 17, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Pistons 106-101. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) *** Local Caption ***Kevin Love; Tristan Thompson; Andre Drummond /

Andre Drummond likely to stay

Not only is Andre Drummond likely to stay, but odds are good that he opts to stay long term. Firstly, the NBA will see a reduction in the salary cap in 2020. Add on that most teams won’t have more than their mid-level exception to use in this year’s free agency and it’s very likely that Drummond opts to use his player option to return to the Cavs at about $28.8 million. The Cavs would still be about ten or so million under the cap with Drummond opting in, meaning that there’s still flexibility to make moves. Drummond’s unlikely to see that kind of salary this year, meaning if he wants the most money then staying in Cleveland is the move to make.

On top of that, the Bird Rights that belong to Drummond also come over in the trade, meaning that the Cavs could extend Drummond up to five years, and at a higher rate than he would see in the free-agency pool of 2021.

According to Piston Power’s Aaron Ferguson, not only is the cap possibly going to dip as low as $109 million this off-season but that Drummond is eligible for the big payday that comes with the aforementioned Bird Rights.

"According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, 29 teams can offer increase slots of up to five percent each year. The Pistons can offer up to eight percent additional money per year because of his bird rights. The CBA states that Drummond, a player defined by playing “at least seven but fewer than ten years of service,” will be able to make “the greater of (x) 30% of the Salary Cap in effect in the first season of the contract, renegotiation, or extension, or (y) 105% of the player’s salary for the prior season."

So the odds of Drummond staying in Cleveland are very, very good. All the Cavs need to do is decide what they want to do with Collin Sexton and Darius Garland (trade them or keep them), while hoping their 2020 NBA Draft pick ends up in the top ten so they can keep it, and the Cavs might be looking seriously dangerous next year.

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