Can / Should Detroit trade Drummond this Offseason?

 Drummond would have good trade value given his output but he would be a possible FA in 2020 so teams may be wary of this. Also if Detroit are looking for a proven player in return then to trade two similar level players is often harder than getting a package in return for a guy like Drummond.

 I think Dallas would be a good spot for him if they don’t bring back DeAndre Jordan. Drummond has great size and strength so he would be the perfect center next to Porzingis at PF. He is 5 years younger than Jordan so he would probably fit the Mavericks timeline better with Luka and Kristaps being so young. 

Dallas doesn’t have a lot of pieces but if they get the 6th or 7th pick in the draft maybe they use that in a trade for an established player. Would a deal of Tim Hardaway Jr., Jalen Brunson and the 6th pick be enough to get Drummond? 

 I would trade him. They won’t win with him. BG played great, he need a wing and a shooter, heck even a better PG. Drummond hurts the spacing for the team. 

I’d say they are fine for now. True, they didn’t win too much with Drummond this year, but is that his fault? I still believe the chemistry works with Drummond and Griffin, where it doesn’t work is with the rest of the starting roster. Their typical starting 5: (I’ll go with what they used after stanley Johnson was traded)

• PG Reggie Jackson (who we all know has a big contract but doesn’t play up to it, he isn’t a free agent until end of next season.)
• SG Luke Kennard (a very young draft pick, who only averages 9.7 pts per game. That’s typical backup numbers. So why is he starting. Why put so much trust in him when he doesn’t show the numbers necessary for a starter?
• SF Bruce Brown (defensive two way player who I think is better suited coming off the bench with Wayne Ellington.
• PF Blake Griffin (He is very good down low, and an underrated facilitator so he could benefit from a bigger more defensive minded PG, more on that later), and he can hit the outside 3)
• C Andre Drummond (he’s a rim protector, so he’s not going to score too many points. But he does grab a lot of boards, and blocks a lot of shots)

This should work well for him as he excels in two areas where Griffin does not. Griffin and Drummond can share the boards, while Drummond and better wing compliments can help in the steals and blocks or defensive numbers.

If you trade Dummond for help in the backcourt at PG, SG and/or SF, then you lose that help down low with Griffin. Whose going to protect the rim, Thon Maker?

They can still get that help on the wing in the draft. They do have the 15th pick which could land them Doumbouya. He’s a defensive minded SF in the mold of Tim Thomas. He’s a two-way player. Something that should benefit Griffin and Drummond. This would help with their small rotation at the 3 since they traded Standley Johnson. (Which I thought was necessary considering his lack of development) They could also opt for a 2 guard or a point guard (but I would suggest not going with a PG because at 15 it doesn’t look like there is much value at point, but their would be greater value at SG or SF as already stated with Doumbouya. They could opt for KZ Okpala or Langford at 15 instead of Doumbouya. They are both scoring guards but not two-way players as Doumbouya is. Okpala is a big guard who can also play the 3 because of his size. This could work out for them because Griffin and Drummond are asked to shoulder the load a lot. So Okpala would help balance the scoring effort, but it would also mean less defensive pressure. Langford is more of a two who is somewhat like Kennard. So I don’t think he would help them too much because it would create repetitive problems and not address depth. In short Langford would create the same problems they are already experiencing with Kennard.

I do think Kennard can develop into a better player. Afterall in the playoffs he did average: 15 pts, 1.75 asts,  and 3 boards. However that point total is a bit inflated because he did well in games 1 and 2 but not so well games 3 and 4. What I find interesting is he got 21 pts off the bench in game 1. Then in game 2 Coach Casey made an adjustment and started him, and he got 19 pts. He started from that point on but in games 3 and 4 Griffin returned from his injury and thus his scoring suffered. So I think he can still improve over the offseason with his confidence that he had in games 1 and 2. It appears he doesn’t seem to work well starting with Griffin and Drummond as noted in his results from games 3 and 4. He may be better suited for the bench as he ended up being a very good sixth man in game 1. Good thing is Okpala can play both 2 and 3. So he should work alongside Kennard or Brown. Doumbouya would only help at the starting 3 and a backup 4 as they already have Griffin who is obviously better. 

So this draft there isn’t too much depth at point as Morant, White, Garland, and NAW will most likely be gone by the time their pick rolls around at 15. Next best PG available after those 4 is Ty Jerome who projects to be more late first round than mid first. (NAW could be around but I think he will go to Charlotte, as the Hornets will have to rebuild since they will likely lose Kemba and possibly Lamb. So NAW would be useful at both guard spots for them.) However next draft when Jackson’s contract is up there seems to be much more depth at point. Right now I see Maledon, Dosunmu, Nico Mannion, Cole Anthony, Killian Hayes, and LaMelo Ball as possible PG prospects for Detroit assuming they perform about the same as they did last year. This is in no particular order as the depth might shakeout differently once we get into the 2019-2020 season. Realistically I could see Maledon, Hayes and Ball available for Detroit. All of these prospects are big point guards something Griffin nor Drummond have not played with, but I think they could do well with them. Then again they could end up doing worse next year and set themselves up for Mannion, Anthony, and Dosunmu who are all smaller pg’s (below size 6’4) but get teammates involved more than the other 3 do. I believe Maledon and Hayes are more defensive PG’s while Ball may be a mixture of both defense and offense but not so much a facilitator.

So projected starting lineup for next season would be: Jackson, Brown or Kennard, Okpala or Doumbouya, Griffin, Drummond. I"m leaning towards Okpala being a better compliment to Griffin and Drummond.

In 2 years when I think Detroit will likely fill their need at point with Jackson’s contract being up their projected starting lineup would be: any one those six players (but I’m hoping for Anthony, Mannion, or Dosunmu), Brown, or Kennard (or a draft pick like Scottie Lewis, Bryan Antoine or Aaron Wiggins, if one of those 6 PG’s are not available when Detroit is up which I think is highly unlikely)

Hopefully by the time 2020 draft rolls around Kennard or Brown will have proven themselves enough that one them can be trusted to start fulltime. (for now one will have to start by default, this could end up benefitting them in the long run. Or it could stunt their growth. Lets wait and see, which is why I listed Lewis, Antoine and Wiggins as possible replacements if starting them prematurely ends up stunting their growth.

I have high hopes that Okpala will mesh with one of the six point guards available in the 2020 draft, and  then Detroit can address their need at 2 in the 2021 draft if necessary.

In conclusion, the draft has proven to be a good replacement pool for mid first round teams. Lets not assume trading and/or free agency is the only option for these teams. They can still find viable cheaper options in the draft.

Firstly, a bit worried hearing you grew up with Chaunce, Sheed, etc cos that was five minutes ago and that makes me feel old AF. Secondly, yes Drummond needs to get moved. Definitely one of the few 5s that can still play into today’s NBA but while he’s get numbers anywhere, there are limited spots where he’d fit and they’d become a better team. It may seem like underselling him, but I’d actually try move him to San Antonio for one their guards and a pick of as they have Forbes, White, Murray, Mills, Derozan and Lonnie Walker and all would help Detroit in some capacity. Knowing the Spurs rarely trade and Detroit wouldn’t go for this, we can scrap the option.
How about Bogdanovic and WCS for him? I think it’s quite fair and a good fit for each team. Detroit gets sn upgrade at 3 and a pogo stick at 5 next to BG, while the Kings are looking to move on from WCS, so starting Drummond, Bagley, Barnes, Hield and Fox gives them a more traditional looking unit.

I’d like to honestly see him in a four out system like the magic used to TRY to run with Dwight Howard at times. He’d proved last year averaging 3 assist that hes not a half bad passer and he can rotate on guards as well at times. I think like some said Dallas would be interesting. I would really like to see Miami try to snag him and have someone to maybe build around a little but theyre kind of cap and asset strapped

what about spurs trade Mills, Bertans and Jacob for Drummond?

 Detroit really need Reggie to start being more of a creative PG, his APG have virtually dropped each year with the Pistons and Griffin was their APG leader in regular season.

Whilst Blake Griffin has refined his game in recent years, I feel that both him and Drummond would benefit from more creation in the backcourt as it would allow the floor to be spread even further with Drummond around the basket and Blake able to float out to the 3 point line or come inside.