Cavs Rumor: Andre Drummond didn’t want to come off the bench

Granted, it seemed like the obvious reason but it’s become more and more clear why the Cavs ultimately sat Andre Drummond, and it’s becoming obvious it wasn’t as much on the Cavs as the team made it out to be. When the James Harden trade went down, the Cavs and Pacers were able to grab the Nets’ two best young players; Jarrett Allen and Caris Levert. That’s only because both were originally going to Houston as part of the deal.

Houston turned Levert into Victor Oladipo, thinking Oladipo would be a bigger trade asset instead. Then there was Allen. The problem with Allen was the Rockets favored Christian Wood over him, and their front office didn’t think they paired well together. Since they were invested in Wood, who was having a breakout season before he got hurt, the decision was to move Allen.

Then the Cavs got involved.

Apparently, Allen was very high on their list of dream targets and when Allen became available, the plan was to start him and move Drummond to the bench. That’s where Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer comes into play, as he writes that Drummond didn’t like splitting minutes and wouldn’t come off the bench.

"However, Drummond was not interested in playing reserve minutes behind Allen, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. That sparked Cleveland’s intent to sit Drummond until moving him."

So all this means that the Cavs didn’t have an option but to pull Drummond. It’s become clear that the Cavs were up against it when it came to this move. Drummond was painted as this noble hero who wanted to play but the Cavs just weren’t for it, even though the organization said the decision was mutual.

It wasn’t, Drummond didn’t want to play.

Fischer goes on to write that the Cavs didn’t expect anything more than a second-round pick for Drummond. In fact, Fischer claims that there was a trade market.

"Most playoff-bound teams inquired about Drummond."

Except, the big issue was matching the $28.5 million contract that Drummond had, however. His contract was basically unmovable. Now, Drummond is in Los Angeles, and as Fischer writes, many don’t expect much of him.

"There’s still a fair amount of doubt among league personnel whether Drummond can truly impact the Lakers winning games. He’s reached only two postseasons, and for all his impressive rebounding accomplishments, the data has always suggested Drummond’s bark might be louder than the bite of his numbers."

At the end of the day, the Cavs got a better player, and Drummond essentially gave up, forcing the Cavs to jump on the grenade and be labeled the bad guys. All the while Drummond got praised.

That’s life in the NBA.