After meeting the NBA negotiation deadline, the Los Angeles Lakers – as expected – will meet with the two centers of debut in the acquisition market, as Chris Haynes, from Yahoo Sports, reports that LaMarcus Aldridge and Andre Drummond will meet with the team .
Yahoo sources: LaMarcus Aldridge will have talks with the Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Brooklyn Nets before deciding on their next destination.
– Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) March 26, 2021
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
For Aldridge, this will be his third free agency meeting with the Lakers; and first with this front office, well after the disaster fueled with Adam Levine’s shirt in 2015. For Drummond, this will be his first time talking to the team as a free agent, but he has some familiarity, as the general manager of the Lakers , Rob Pelinka. your ex-agent.
According to several reports last week, the Heat is widely seen as the favorite to hire Aldridge, with these meetings likely just an agent-led maneuver to avoid tampering with accusations if he goes immediately to the Heat without meetings.
While this may also be a smokescreen, Drummond’s next destination is less clear. The Lakers are seen in the league as favorites to sign him, but the Knicks have also emerged as suitors, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer.
Sources: The New York Knicks has emerged as a potentially serious destination for the great Cavaliersman Andre Drummond.
– Kevin O’Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) March 24, 2021
In addition to being from New York, the profits that the Knicks can attract to Drummond are quite clear. John Hollinger of The Athletic analyzed:
With $ 15 million available, they could hire him for a prorated four-year, $ 64 million deal – essentially running his free agency a few months earlier. Such a deal would probably be much more palatable to Drummond than one of the competitors’ available minima.
For what it’s worth, the Knicks are still undecided about how much they would like to offer Drummond.
So, basically, for Drummond, the decision will fall on the chance to win, or money from the Knicks. Aldridge seems less attainable based on media reports, but in a rare positive this week, the Lakers will at least have a chance to court the two. This is something, as this team seeks to fill the final two vacancies on its list in the coming weeks.
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