Let the Andre Drummond sweepstakes begin.
On Friday, the Cavaliers announced they had reached a buyout agreement with Drummond, making him a free agent.
OFFICIAL: Cavs reach buyout agreement with @AndreDrummond.
DETAILS: https://t.co/9PfcdCjXor pic.twitter.com/rsL7ESWe8x
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 26, 2021
For weeks, Drummond has been linked to the Lakers as his likely landing spot once he was bought out. However, that has changed in recent days as first the Knicks got mentioned, and in the last 24 hours the Celtics have come on strong. Boston has even met with Drummond already, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on the network Friday (via Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports).
Per Woj on ESPN: “The Celtics met with Andre Drummond today. Boston would like to add him to fill their hole in the middle. Boston has a real shot at him.”
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) March 26, 2021
Where Drummond plays next comes down to what he prioritizes.
The Lakers and LeBron James offer a chance at a ring, and a chance to boost his stock heading into offseason free agency by showing he can accept and thrive in a somewhat reduced role (that role will only shrink more once Anthony Davis returns). Boston offers a larger role — it traded away center Daniel Theis at the deadline — on a team with good young talent, but not one that has looked like a contender yet this season. New York offers a lot of minutes and more money — the Knicks are almost $15 million under the salary cap and can sign Drummond to a longer-term deal tomorrow (something as much as four-years, around $60 million).
In the coming days, we’ll see what Drummond believes is important.
