NBA Rumors: Boston Celtics, Atlanta Hawks Among Teams Interested To Trade For Andre Drummond

Detroit Pistons starting center Andre Drummond could be dealt with another team before the trade deadline, a report said. The rumor came out Friday with the Atlanta Hawks being the earliest bidders to nab the All-Star big man. Not long after the news was released, several other teams including the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Dallas Mavericks are said to express the same interest to work out a deal for the 6’10 bruiser.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN unleashed the report, saying that while no official deal has been cast on stone yet, teams have already started their talks with the Pistons who are said to be mapping out a contingency plan for Drummond who could decline his $29 million option on the 2020-21 season and become a free agent.

According to Wojnarowski, the Pistons’ front office is looking at the Drummond situation as an opportunity to start building some flexibility in their salary cap that they could take advantage of in the next seasons. “Pistons owner Tom Gores has long been a strong advocate of Drummond's, but there's an increased movement in the organization to use Drummond as a trade asset to begin creating some salary-cap flexibility for the future,” he said.

For the Hawks, Woj revealed that as per several accounts, the team “have discussed sending a package that includes a 2020 first-round pick via the Brooklyn Nets and the salary-cap relief of expiring contracts for Detroit.” He also added that the potential deal would include other assets.

Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer said that Drummond as a Hawk would be interesting to watch as the big man could form a formidable combo with rising sophomore guard Trae Young. “Andre Drummond is such an intriguing target for the Hawks. He's never played with a passer as good as Trae Young or on a team that runs as much pick-and-roll as Atlanta. Drummond has scored 1.2 points per roll to the rim in his career. Young could create easier chances than ever,” O’Connor said.

Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports served the follow-up scoop, mentioning that “Boston, Dallas, Toronto have also registered interest” in Drummond.