Andre Drummond is reportedly considering the New York Knicks after his purchase, but should they be interested in him?
The New York Knicks is reportedly one of the five teams that Andre Drummond, the biggest name in the acquisitions market, is considering. The two-time All-Star is looking for a new team after his stint in Cleveland failed.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Drummond will hear pitches from the Knicks, Lakers, Clippers, Celtics and Hornets – all of the teams that are currently in the playoffs.
Yahoo sources: Andre Drummond will hear pitches from the New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Boston Celtics and the Charlotte Hornets.
– Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) March 26, 2021
The two Los Angeles teams offer Drummond the best chance of winning a title, but he will likely have a bigger role if he ends up with one of the Eastern Conference teams.
The Knicks can pay Drummond more than any other team on this list. In fact, there are benefits to signing a contract with Drummond for the remaining $ 13.5 million in wage cap space.
As John Hollinger of The Athletic notes, the Knicks could act as an “over the cap” team in the off-season and give them more financial flexibility. There is a good chance that Knicks’ vice president and chief strategist, Brock Aller, will also know this.
Why Drummond makes sense
There is a reason why up to five playoff teams will launch Drummond for his services – he is talented. It is impossible to doubt his ability, even if the game itself seems to be evolving without it.
Big, slow men are becoming rare in the NBA, but Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is an old school guy. He figured out how to unlock the pillars of the franchise, like Julius Randle, RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson. If any coach can figure out how to use Drummond better, there is a good chance he will be Thibs.
The Knicks are already ninth in percentage of offensive and defensive rebounds. Drummond, a four-time champion in rebounds, would be among the Knicks elite in that category. If Drummond accepts – and we assume he will if he decides to sign with the Knicks – Thibodeau may be the best coach for him.
Why Drummond doesn’t make sense
There are some red flags with Drummond’s signature. First, the Knicks already have a solid depth at the center. This was tested when Robinson fractured his hand and lost 15 games, a stretch in which New York compiled a 9-6 record.
Nerlens Noel entered the starting role and the Knicks did not miss a beat. Meanwhile, Taj Gibson fit like a glove on the second unit. Even Julius Randle took a few minutes at five after Gibson joined Robinson on the injury report.
There is no desperate need for the position, and although Drummond is talented enough to make an impact, he will not put the Knicks at the top as a real candidate.
Ironically, the fact that Drummond played an important role in the rotation really hurts his case signing with the Knicks. Although it may not look like from his box-score statistics, Robinson is taking another leap in his development this year. His blocks are down, but he is a true defensive anchor who can make a defense.
Drummond and Robinson could divide the minutes evenly, but things don’t always work out so well. Robinson’s minutes suffering from Drummond would not be the best thing for the Knicks in the long run.
A similar argument was made regarding Immanuel Quickley’s minutes when the Knicks acquired Derrick Rose. In fact, Quickley’s minutes have passed since Rose was acquired, but there are some important differences in these situations.
On the one hand, Rose has lost nine consecutive games, so we still don’t know exactly which Thibodeau spins will favor. However, more importantly, there are only 48 minutes in total for the centers. Thibodeau can mix and match minutes with Rose and Quickley on the floor together. There is no universe where the Knicks can play Drummond and Robinson together.
The Knicks offer Drummond a place to recover before the free agency, but so do the Lakers and Clippers, two teams on which he would also have a legitimate chance of winning a ring.
Clearly, there are a ton of variables at play in the development of Drummond’s situation.
