NBA Rumors: Hawks Could Get Andre Drummond For Chandler Parsons And De’Andre Hunter, Per ‘Bleacher Report’
Despite the possibility that he might enter free agency next offseason by opting out of the final year of his contract, a new report suggests that Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond could be an intriguing trade target for the similarly struggling Atlanta Hawks.
On Tuesday, Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey compiled a list of players each NBA team should be targeting for a midseason trade, with Drummond mentioned as the best possible choice for the Hawks. As explained, the Pistons could be nearing a “fire sale” if the team, which is currently tied for 10th place in the Eastern Conference with a 4-9 record, continues to underwhelm. With that in mind, Bailey noted that Drummond and power forward Blake Griffin could be the two most attractive options for teams looking to make a deal with Detroit.
In the trade offer suggested by Bailey, the Pistons would be sending Drummond to the Hawks and getting two players in return — veteran forward Chandler Parsons and rookie wingman De’Andre Hunter. According to the Bleacher Report writer, Parsons is “one of the best trade chips” available due to the fact that his lucrative contract expires after this season. As seen on the Hawks’ team page on Basketball-Reference, the 31-year-old Parsons has only played two scoreless minutes in one game this season, though his $25.1 million salary is comparable to what Drummond is making for the Pistons.
Considering that Parsons is no longer as productive as he used to be earlier in his career, Hunter was suggested as one of the “intriguing” youngsters Atlanta could surrender if they trade for Drummond. The No. 4 overall pick in this year’s draft, Hunter has averages of 9.9 points, four rebounds, and 1.5 assists for the Hawks as the team’s starting small forward, though he is only shooting 37.3 percent from the field and 32.7 percent from three-point range.
Andre Drummond has his 6th first half double-double this season.
No other player has more than 1 in the NBA. In fact, the rest of the NBA has 7 combined first half double-doubles. pic.twitter.com/96fwl53a5X
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 16, 2019
As Drummond is averaging a career-best 19.6 points and 17 rebounds per game for the Pistons, per Basketball-Reference, Bleacher Report’s Bailey wrote that the Hawks — who also have a 4-9 record as of this writing — could “justify” re-signing him to a “monster” contract, assuming they make a move for him. The 26-year-old University of Connecticut product was described as a considerable upgrade over erstwhile starting center Alex Len, with Bailey further predicting that he could become even more efficient by playing alongside star point guard Trae Young.
Although Hunter’s potential could make him a good building block for any future Pistons rebuilding project, previous reports have suggested that Detroit might have more of a need at the point guard position than at the wing. To this end, one such report also recommended trading Drummond, albeit in a deal that would send him to the Golden State Warriors and allow the Pistons to acquire D’Angelo Russell in return.
