NBA Rumors: Proposed Blockbuster Would Send Andre Drummond To Trail Blazers For Three Players & Second-Rounder
Cleveland Cavaliers center Andre Drummond is one of the players who are expected to be moved before the 2021 trade deadline. After the recent acquisition of Jarrett Allen, most people believe that the Cavaliers would try to flip Drummond’s expiring contract for assets that could help them speed up the rebuilding process. One of the teams that could express a strong interest in acquiring the veteran big man from Cleveland is the Portland Trail Blazers.
In a recent article, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report came up with a blockbuster trade idea that would enable Drummond to form a “Big Three” with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum in Portland. In the proposed scenario, the Trail Blazers would be sending a package that includes Jusuf Nurkic, Rodney Hood, Nassir Little, and a 2022 second-round pick to the Cavaliers in exchange for Drummond.
Though it would cost them three important members of their rotation and a future draft asset, the suggested trade would make a lot of sense for the Trail Blazers. As Buckley noted, the potential acquisition of Drummond would help Portland address their need for improvement in terms of defense and rebounding.
“The Blazers need better balance to halt their defensive decline (28th in efficiency) and prevent further damage on the glass (23rd in rebounding percentage). They need Andre Drummond, a 6’10”, 279-pound package of bulk, bounce and all the boards the Pacific Northwest could ever want. The big fella is steamrolling toward his fifth rebounding title in six seasons (14.6 in just 30.4 minutes a night) and using his size and quick hands to disrupt opponents’ activity at a staggering rate. If his rates hold, this will be his fourth straight season with a 4.0 block percentage and 2.0 steal percentage.”
Drummond would undeniably be an intriguing addition to the Trail Blazers. Though he’s yet to unlock his three-point shooting skills, he would give Lillard and McCollum a new All-Star running mate who is a walking double-double machine. This season, the 27-year-old big man is establishing another monster performance, averaging 18.9 points, 14.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.6 steals while shooting 47.5 percent from the field, per ESPN.
Drummond wouldn’t make the Trail Blazers an instant favorite to represent the Western Conference in the 2021 NBA Finals but replacing Nurkic with a healthier and All-Star caliber center would make them a tougher team to face in a best-of-seven series.
Meanwhile, the proposed scenario would be a no-brainer for the Cavaliers, especially if they don’t have any plan of giving Drummond a massive contract extension in the 2021 free agency. Instead of losing him as an unrestricted free agent without getting anything in return, they would be turning his expiring contract into a promising prospect in Little and a future draft asset. Once he’s healthy, the Cavaliers could also try sending Nurkic to title contenders that are in need of a frontcourt boost in exchange for a young player or a first-round pick.
