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Blazers Trade Rumors: Andre Drummond Getting Shopped By Detroit Pistons, A Good Fit In Portland?

By Ryan DeVault
Published on: 08:40 PST, Jun 11, 2017

Portland Trail Blazers trade rumors suggest the team is looking for size in the NBA offseason. Enter Andre Drummond, who the Detroit Pistons are actively shopping on the trade market and who could be the missing piece to the Blazers’ roster. It’s been a reoccurring theme with the Pistons that they are open to a Drummond trade, especially since the team failed to make the NBA Playoffs again last year. As a report by basketball analyst Michael Scotto confirms, the Pistons are listening to offers for Drummond and guard Reggie Jackson.

If the Portland Trail Blazers could find a way to add a center who can rebound and block shots while keeping Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum on the roster, it’s something the front office simply has to do. General manager Neil Olshey has spoken frequently about the high hopes that the Blazers have for the 2017 NBA Draft, as the team possesses three first-round picks. It’s a way that the Blazers could add a lot of size, depth, and young talent to a roster starved to make a deep run into the postseason. But wouldn’t it be easier to simply trade for an established center?

How Would An Andre Drummond Trade Work With Detroit Pistons?

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, there have been numerous Portland Trail Blazers trade rumors that include one or more of the 2017 NBA draft picks they possess. A number of teams, including the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, have already been involved in negotiations with the Blazers about a deal for them. With the Detroit Pistons working hard to rebuild the roster with inexpensive and young pieces, those Blazers draft picks might be the perfect recipe for an Andre Drummond trade.

Andre Drummond’s contract pays him about $23.8 million next year and then roughly $25.4 million, $27 million, and $28.8 million for the three successive seasons. The final year of his deal is a player option, giving Drummond an opportunity to opt out of the contract if he wants to go that route. It’s an expensive deal, which is why the Pistons are shopping him in the first place. In order to complete a trade with the Pistons, the Blazers will have to give up at least one player making a lot of money.

Which Players Could Be Included In A Portland Trail Blazers Trade With The Detroit Pistons?

Any Portland Trail Blazers trade must match salaries, as the team is well over the salary cap for the 2017-18 NBA season. The Blazers currently owe just about $138 million next year, an increase from the $119.7 million payroll this past season. CJ McCollum is getting a huge raise under his contract, which will make him the fourth player on the roster earning at least $17 million next year.

If an Andre Drummond trade interested the Blazers, the team would have to send roughly $24 million in salaries back to the Pistons. Some combination of Allen Crabbe ($18.5 million), Evan Turner ($17.1 million), Meyers Leonard ($9.9 million), Moe Harkless ($9.7 million), Al-Farouq Aminu ($7.3 million), Festus Ezeli ($7.7 million), and Ed Davis ($6.4 million) would make it work. Offering a deal of all three first-round draft picks, Crabbe or Turner, and Leonard could just get it done.

Should The Portland Trail Blazers Trade The Draft Picks For Andre Drummond?

Andre Drummond in only 23 and averaged 13.6 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game last season. He did it while shooting 53 percent from the field, making him one of the best centers in the entire NBA. If the Blazers acquired Drummond, the team could use him in tandem with Jusuf Nurkic at the starting power forward and center positions. That would make a very formidable starting rotation with CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard providing a majority of the offense.

Draft picks are always a risk because no matter how talented a player might have been in college, there is always a risk that they won’t do well in the NBA. The three first-round draft picks for the Blazers look really good on paper, but it’s always safer to go with a proven option. A Portland Trail Blazers trade for Andre Drummond would immediately make the team a formidable opponent for the Golden State Warriors.

[Featured Image by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images]

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