NBA Rumors: Drummond Likely To Opt In, Align With Cavs

KEY POINTS

Drummond staying for one more year with Cavs
Drummond may have been influenced by Bickerstaff
Cavs claim to have the budget to keep Drummond

When the Cleveland Cavaliers got him via trade, Andre Drummond made it clear that he would opt out of the last year of his deal. But the reason behind that is because he did not want to play under John Beilein. And as most know, Beilein has since been replaced by J.B. Bickerstaff with most of the Cavs players praising the new head coach.

Practically all of the Cavs players have spoken highly of Bickerstaff. That includes Tristan Thompson and Collin Sexton. Kevin Love did not directly laud Bickerstaff but admitted that the team camaraderie was a whole lot better. For his part, Drummond has yet to air his opinion but it appears he too is giving his thumbs up.

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com claimed sources told him that Drummond picking up his player option is likely. It is possible that Bickerstaff has made an impression or already talked with the 6-foot-10 center. And while that should be good news, the next problem is: do the Cavs have the budget to accommodate Drummond? According to the same sources, the Cavs are prepared if the two-time NBA All-Star center does opt-in.

Once made official, the Cavs could end up with a daunting frontline. But aside from Drummond, there is also the case of Thompson and Love. The Canadian is in the final year of his contract but the Cavs reportedly want to keep him. Thompson has yet to divulge his plans moving forward.

Love, on the other hand, has been the subject of trade rumors the past months. He too had a misunderstanding with Beilein but it appears he is ready to play for Bickerstaff. If all three stay in Cleveland, the Cavs have a formidable frontline heading into next season. Much of this was covered in a previous post.

With veteran big men upfront and a pair of young guards in Sexton and Darius Garland, all that remains is for Bickerstaff to map out game plans for Cleveland. The current season did not particularly go well although a new sense of energy has come out since the change of head coach. If they stay the course, the Cavs may have finally found the right composition to move away from the LeBron James era.