Everything involving Andre Drummond and the Cleveland Cavaliers is still being worked out, in a sort of make-it-up-as-you-go arrangement.
Drummond, 27, will remain with the Cavs while general manager Koby Altman attempts to find a trade of the former starting center. But how involved Drummond remains to be determined, it seems.
All we know is Drummond won’t play or practice. But he will continue to join the Cavs on the bench. He also will have access to the practice facility, as relayed by Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
“He’s been great,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of Drummond. “He was in the locker room at halftime having conversations with the guys about what he saw on the floor. He’s been tremendous through this whole thing and it’s not easy. But he’s been extremely engaging with his teammates and the staff. In difficult circumstances, he’s handled himself extremely well.”
Meanwhile, Drummond’s teammates appear to be perplexed over the entire situation.
“Whatever they have in the front office with him and Coach, that doesn’t pertain to me,” guard Collin Sexton said.
Point guard Darius Garland summed it up in a word: “Strange.”
One opposing GM told FortyEightMinutes, “I can see why they’d sit him. But I’d probably play him.”
Drummond, 27, is still viewed as a big man who can make a difference who can make a difference — especially for a contender.
He has been linked to multiple teams, but with the Boston Celtics off to an uneven start, it is believed they are the opponent with the most interest. The Miami Heat appear to be up there, too. The problem for the Celtics, the Heat, the Cavs and anyone else would be making a deal work.
Opposing teams have to protect themselves, because Drummond is on a $28.7 million contract that expires at season’s end. That will give him the option for free agency over the summer. That means if you trade for him, you could lose him … for nothing.
So it would be unwise to gut the roster and mortgage the farm for a borderline All-Star who may not be a part of things on a long-term basis.
Meanwhile, the Cavs will have to take back no less than $23 million in salary to make a trade work, according to ESPN insider Bobby Marks. And the last thing they want to do is take away their flexibility in making future roster moves.
In other words, this is complicated, and the Cavs may try to paint it in another light, but it’s quite a conundrum. That’s not really even up for debate.
Quite frankly, making it up as they go is probably the best option for now.
