Cavs Rumors: Andre Drummond not close to extension
By Chad Porto
The Cavs are reportedly far apart on an Andre Drummond extension according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com and it remains unclear if a deal will happen.
Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com recently posted about how the Cavs and Andre Drummond are far apart on a deal for an extension. Fedor claims the Cavs don’t want to be locked into a deal with a player who has “flaws”, in an era where players like him are “easy to attain.”
For Drummond’s part, Fedor claims, the center wants to be compensated for essentially opting out past the 2021 free agency class which teams are gearing up towards, with many teams expected to not be big players in the 2020 free agency class.
"At one point, there was mutual interest in an extension. However, the sides have been far apart in those preliminary discussions, sources say. The Cavs recognize Drummond’s talent but they are also honest about his flaws, especially in this pace-and-space era, where bigs like him are easy to attain. They don’t want to commit to an unfriendly deal that could limit future moves, not after an eight-game sample size. Drummond, meanwhile, wants to be compensated for bypassing a chance at 2021 free agency, when many teams will have significant cap space. Given the differing, current monetary views, an extension seems unlikely."
The problem with signing Drummond long term is that he’s going to demand a large chunk of money and brings so little to the table. The NBA has become ground zero for cases of middle of the road players being paid like superstars. Drummond is not a superstar, and he’s certainly not worth $30 million a year. Frankly, he’s not worth $20 million.
Drummond is a good rebounder and a solid low post defender but he’s lacking athleticism and has no offensive game outside of the 5′ from the basket. He also doesn’t play like he’s 6’11. Locking him down to a three or four-year deal doesn’t make sense. He’s far too limited and a rim runner like him isn’t what a team should be paying big money for.
The Cavs may be better off trading him for a playmaker like Russell Westbrook if a deal like that could be done. Drummond is a better rebounding version of Tristan Thompson and the Cavs know what he can do on a team. Drummond can’t lead a team to the playoffs, so why would he get that kind of money?