NBA Free Agency: Detroit Pistons Giving Andre Drummond $130 Million
Going into the offseason, the main priority for the Detroit Pistons was to lock down their franchise player to a long-term deal. According to ESPN, the Pistons have signed Andre Drummond to a five-year contract. While financial terms have not been officially revealed yet, sources are stating that the six-foot-11 center is receiving $130 million.
Since he is just 22-years-old, the Detroit Pistons believe that Andre Drummond could be one of their foundations for the next several years. He’s been pretty healthy since joining the NBA, so that is pretty reassuring for Pistons management. Drummond should be entering his prime when the contract comes to a conclusion.
The Detroit Pistons are hoping that they can provide Andre Drummond with a solid five years as he will be young enough to sign another huge contract after this current one expires. With the salary cap rising, Drummond could receive even more than $130 million the next time around.
Andre Drummond and the Detroit Pistons are nearing agreement on a five-year max deal in the $130 million range, league sources tell ESPN
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 1, 2016
According to SB Nation, Andre Drummond is coming off the best season of his career in the NBA. He was able to average 16.2 points a game. However, there’s a very good chance that he will be breaking 20 points a game as he continues to learn more moves in the post.
Andre Drummond also averaged 14.8 rebounds, which puts him at the top of the NBA. Those rebounding numbers would make Dennis Rodman, one of the most prolific rebounding forwards in the history of the National Basketball Association, very proud. Being able to grab the ball that frequently makes the Detroit Pistons defense even better.
Detroit Pistons head coach Stan Van Gundy knows that he’s going to need Andre Drummond if the team wants to keep making it to the NBA Playoffs. Last season, they made it to the first round before being eliminated by the Cleveland Cavaliers, the eventual world champions.
Signing Andre Drummond was something that the Detroit Pistons always assumed was going to happen this off season. Team owner Tom Gores was very adamant about keeping Drummond around. He was more than willing to make the financial commitment to make it happen.
According to SB Nation, Andre Drummond is the highest-paid player in the history of the Detroit Pistons. Of course, a large part of that is because the salary cap in the NBA has never been higher than it will be next season.
Thanks in large part to his size and athleticism, Andre Drummond is considered one of the best centers in the NBA. His main competition comes from DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings. The two of them should be doing battle for years to come. They’ll both become quite acquainted at All-Star games.
Last season, the Detroit Pistons signed Reggie Jackson to a five-year contract worth $80 million. Now that Andre Drummond is signed to a long-term extension, the franchise will have two good building blocks for the next couple of seasons.
To help Reggie Jackson out, the Detroit Pistons added some depth to the back court during the first few hours of free agency. According to the Detroit Free Press, the Pistons have signed Ish Smith to a three-year contract. Smith will be backing up Jackson and possibly playing next to him at times.
Thanks to their young core, the Detroit Pistons appear poised to become one of the better teams in the NBA. In addition to Reggie Jackson, Ish Smith, and Andre Drummond, the roster also boasts talented players such as Kentavious Caldwell Pope, Stanley Johnson, and Tobias Harris.
[Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images]
