Andre Drummond opting in resets expectations for the Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers will have Andre Drummond for another season and expectations are now raised.

It’s very likely that the Cleveland Cavaliers will be looking at a different set of circumstances next season. The team has been rebuilding for two seasons now and will have three top-10 picks in a row to help that process. With Kevin Love still on the roster, Tristan Thompson leaning towards re-signing, and now news that Andre Drummond will opt-in for the final year of his contract it’s entirely likely that this team is now focused on competing and not rebuilding.

Drummond by no means is a “game-changer” like a LeBron James or Luka Doncic, but Drummond makes for a great building block even if he’s a better defender than a scorer. His defense may not be as heralded as a Rudy Gobert’s, but his defense is pretty dynamic, and considering his limited offensive skill set, you need to be able to make a splash at one end of the court if you can’t at the other. Drummond can be that type of player.

So with Drummond opting in, and the fact that they have three quality bigs, and three top-10 picks (Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and the yet-to-be-made-2020 pick), it seems like expectations for this season are shifting. While there may be still some in the front office and in the fanbase that thinks the “process” worked for the 76ers, tanking for nearly a decade just doesn’t make sense to most people.

Are there any things to figure out?

The Cavs do need to figure somethings out, namely what to do about the point guard spot. Sure, Garland played solidly as a defender and he started to show improvements but he’s on a lot of “worst 2020 rookie season” lists for a reason.

Does the team try to swing a contract, Garland a few picks to go get a veteran point guard? Do they go after a veteran starter in free agency? Would they consider re-inserting Matthew Dellavedova into a starting spot? Will Dellavedova even come back? There’s a lot of lingering questions about what to do going forward, but luckily the Cavs have all the time in the world to figure it out.

What moves do you think the Cavs need to make to compete in 2020-2021?