Report: Hawks Discussing Trade For Drummond
The Hawks have reportedly engaged in talks with the Detroit Pistons about trading for center Andre Drummond, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, though a deal is not imminent at the moment.
Last month, the Hawks were rumored to be discussing Steven Adams as a possible trade target. Friday’s report doesn’t necessarily preclude Atlanta from pursuing Adams; it only confirms the casting of a wider net. Meanwhile, Detroit, stuck in middle-class purgatory after several unsuccessful attempts to build good teams around Drummond, Blake Griffin, and Reggie Jackson, clearly wants to move in a different direction. Drummond is the most tradable player on the roster and a logical starting point for a rebuild. The Athletic reported that he is “very likely” to be traded before the February 6 deadline. The Celtics, Raptors, and Mavericks also have interest in trading for Drummond, Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports reported.
If the Hawks have serious interest in trading for Drummond, that would seem to indicate panic over the team’s underwhelming performance this season. They were under no illusions that the team would be good this season, and while Trae Young’s ascension into All-Star territory has slightly recalibrated their timeline and expectations, the Hawks would seem to have little incentive to make a desperate attempt at improving over the final 48 games of the season.
Atlanta would be wise to upgrade what has been the worst center rotation in the NBA, but should also be cautious of sacrificing too much for someone who may not move the needle for the team’s long-term trajectory. Mortgaging the future – even a small part of it – and limiting long-term flexibility for the payoff of a few additional wins this season seems imprudent, and antithetical to Travis Schlenk’s vision for the franchise. Drummond, who makes $27.1 million this season, is on an expiring contract; trading anything of consequence for him is a risk unto itself.
Drummond would immediately become the Hawks’ best center by a wide margin – though that is damning with the faintest possible praise – and help fortify two of their greatest areas of weakness. He’s an elite rebounder, dependable vertical threat in the pick-and-roll, and a disruptive defender both at the rim and in passing lanes. He has grown into an adequate passer out of the post and in tight interior spaces. The Hawks, however, should be wary of surrendering too much in a deal for the 26-year-old. Drummond will likely command a max or near-max contract next summer (he has a $28.6 million player option for next season that he is reportedly unlikely to exercise) and it’s unclear whether he’ll live up to that sort of commitment from the Hawks, Pistons, or any other team that pays him.
Center is the easiest position in the NBA at which to find replacement-level value (or better) for cheap; save for the league’s elite big men, few are worth hefty contracts, and there is a point at which teams are simply better off scouring the market for players on more team-friendly deals. Trading for a limited big man already in his prime and due for a big contract feels misguided on Atlanta’s part. He would undoubtedly help the Hawks in some of their weakest areas and has more worth to Atlanta than he would to most other teams because of that. But the Hawks shouldn’t overvalue him simply because of their incumbent centers’ ineffectiveness. He has never been a particularly efficient scorer despite fairly high offensive usage and offsets much of his value as a passer with a propensity for turning the ball over. He’s scoring a robust 1.01 points per possession from the post this season, but that figure could be an aberration given that he’s hadn’t eclipsed 0.84 points per possession prior to this season.
Perhaps Drummond could scale into a lower-usage role and become more efficient working next to Trae Young as a rim runner and play finisher. Convert inefficient post-ups into alley-oops, and Drummond becomes a markedly more effective offensive player. He ranks in just the 26 percentile as a pick-and-roll finisher this season, but playing with a guard like Young would make that role easier than it is with the cast of point in Detroit. He could cause some redundancy with John Collins, another devastating lob finisher, thus placing a greater emphasis on Collins developing his jumpshot.
As with a trade for Adams or any other high-priced contributor, one of Chandler Parsons, Evan Turner, or Allen Crabbe (all of whom come off the books at the end of this season) must be included in the deal to match salaries, which will likely require that Atlanta attach an asset to those players. It feels unlikely that the Hawks include any of De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, John Collins, or their own 2020 first-round pick, leaving Alex Len and Jabari Parker as the Hawks’ only tradable mid-sized salaries. Atlanta also owns the Nets’ lottery-protected 2020 first-rounder – probably the most likely asset to be included in a deal.
Perhaps, given their dire need for a competent center and pressure to build around Young, the Hawks would pay a heftier price than most teams. Brooklyn’s pick is probably unlikely to yield a player better than Drummond, and if the Hawks believe in his fit with their core and their ability to re-sign him, they could be eager to pull the trigger.
