Report: The Boston Celtics Are ‘Monitoring’ Andre Drummond's Future With The Cleveland Cavaliers. Could Andre Drummond Be The Finals Piece For Boston’s Future?

After having an unexpectedly successful season, the Boston Celtics exceeded expectations as they managed to make it to the conference finals, where they would fall short to Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat. This loss was painful as many analysts, including Max Kellerman, believed that the Boston Celtics would make it to the NBA finals after their victory against the Raptors. Unfortunately, the Celtics lost while also revealing some glaring issues with the roster. The lack of depth is a top concern for this organization; however, the center position is the most blurring position. Daniel Theis is a great center who provided more than anticipated, but he should not be the starting center, especially when factoring in championship aspirations. With this free agency having various options to sign a center, the Boston Celtics have been mostly interested in Andre Drummond. 

If the Boston Celtics possessed an All-Star calibre center in this year’s playoffs, the possibilities of reaching the NBA finals would have been a reality. From the rise of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to the incredible build-up of chemistry, the Celtics are more than ready to compete for a championship. Boston’s future is bright, but if this team wants any future success, they need to possess a center that can rebound the ball and defend other skyscrapers in the NBA, such as Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Despite his ability to rebound the basketball while being a great defender, organizations are reluctant to pursue Drummond due to a lack of a jump-shot. While shooting is a vital asset to have in the NBA, many current NBA players have made All-Star appearances while lacking a jump-shot. Players such as Rudy Gobert, Bam Adebayo, Draymond Green, Ben Simmons and Domantas Sabonis have all made the All-Star game without having a three-point shot due to how well they excel at what they do. Andre Drummond excels at what he does, which is, rebounding and having an inside presence. The only reason why he is never an All-Star recruit is due to the organizations he represents. For instance, Trae Young had to average close to 30 points per game just to be a reserve compared to Kemba Walker, an All-Star starter, while averaging 21 points. Winning factors in with awards and the narrative and stigma that Drummond receives in the NBA is unjust when factoring in the organizations he has to represent. If he were given a competent organization that feeds off winning games and championships, Drummond’s narrative of being an “invaluable” player to a roster would quickly diminish considering how well he excels at what he does. With that being said, according to Forbes’ Evan Dammarall, he reported that Andre Drummond has various teams interested in signing or trading for him. 

Drummond is eligible for an extension this offseason and when the Cavaliers obtained him at the deadline, his Bird Rights came with him as well. This means that Cleveland could extend Drummond up to five years at a higher rate compared to what he can get on the open market, about $34.5 million annually. According to league sources, both Drummond and the Cavaliers have been discussing a possible extension for a while now. But, according to those same sources, there’s a noticeable gap in terms of how much money both sides are willing to agree to.

… But, if things don’t get better it becomes even easier to flip Drummond and his mammoth expiring contract to another team to recoup assets to assist in their rebuild. Teams like the Boston Celtics, the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers all make sense as trade destinations for Drummond and according to sources, the Celtics are monitoring the situation.

While all of this is mere speculation, it is important to note that the Boston Celtics could start the 2020-21 season with Andre Drummond as the starting center. However, Boston lacks the salary to sign Drummond if he chooses to opt-out of his player option and become a free agent. This means that the Celtics would have to trade a big contract for this trade to process unless Gordon Hayward decides to leave Boston as he also has a player option to sign. If Hayward becomes an unrestricted free agent, the Celtics would have more breathing room in signing Andre Drummond and some bench pieces as he would be making substantially less than Hayward’s 34 million dollars. If Danny Ainge wants a greater chance to win a championship, he should pray that Gordan Hayward declines his option for next season! Even though Hayward was a former All-Star before signing a max-contract with Boston, his injuries have limited his production while also lowering his potential on the basketball court. The fit of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Gordan Hayward has overall been successful rather than clustered due to Hayward’s willingness to take a smaller role for the betterment of the team. Most former All-Stars would never make such a sacrifice, hence why Gordan Hayward is a unique player in the NBA that every team deserves. However, he is also a player that deserves more touches on the offensive end as he could average 20 or more points a game if given the opportunity. This season he averaged 17 points as the fourth option behind two All-Stars; imagine what he could do if he were the first option for a different organization. 

Although Gordan Hayward is a terrific player, the production and value he brings to Boston are slowly diminishing, considering that the Celtics have made the Conference Finals twice without him. This is a dangerous stat for Hayward, considering that the organization did not entirely need him to make it far in the playoffs. He is a valuable player, but his contract does not compare to what he brings to the court. The Boston Celtics, more than anything, need a center that can rebound, defend and reliably score the basketball. While Andre Drummond has most of the requirements, his lack of scoring could make or break this organization. Brad Stevens has a unique offensive scheme as he expects almost every player on the roster to shoot three-pointers. While Drummond has attempted three-point jump shots, he is inconsistent and unreliable from the past the arc. However, Boston has elite three-point shooters in Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker, which entails that maybe Drummond should be focused more on inside scoring to give Boston more variety. Besides, rebounding the basketball should be the number one priority for Drummond to lead the NBA in second-chance scoring. Drummond may lack a reliable jump-shot, but his ability to rebound the basketball makes up for it, especially when factoring the number of great scorers Boston already has. If Drummond becomes a part of the Boston Celtics, scoring should be the last priority for him and instead should use that energy to defend, rebound, and score inside. While this might be viewed as a weakness for most organizations, the Boston Celtics are among the few NBA teams where they do not need to have a three-point shooting center.