Despite the rumors about his potential departure, the Cleveland Cavaliers are still hoping that LeBron James will consider playing in his hometown for another season. To convince James to opt into the final year of his contract or sign a long-term deal in July, the Cavaliers are exploring trade options that could help them improve their current roster. As of now, Kevin Love emerged as the likely trade candidate for the Cavaliers.
Kevin Love and the No. 8 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft are considered as the Cavaliers’ best trade assets. Tony Pesta of Fansided ‘s King James Gospel recently suggested multiple trade scenarios involving Love, and one of the intriguing proposals is the one that would send the All-Star power forward to the Detroit Pistons for Andre Drummond.
“If this trade went down, it would mark the second time LeBron James has played alongside a center with multiple all-star appearances. The last time, was his first stint in Cleveland with Zydrunas Ilgauskas. It would be interesting to see how James plays next to a center such as Drummond. Drummond would certainly fix a huge problem for the Cavaliers. They would finally have a solid rim protector.”
The deal will undeniably be beneficial for the Cavaliers as it will give them a quality rim protector they have been missing in the past years. Aside from being an incredible shot-blocker, Andre Drummond will give Cleveland a reliable scorer in the paint and rebounder. In 78 games last season, Drummond averaged 15.0 points, 16.0 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks on 52.9 percent shooting from the field.
Kevin Love wants to remain with Cleveland Cavaliers, finish career alongside LeBron James https://t.co/5VXkROeLg5 pic.twitter.com/KfAUMDoFhO
— WKYC 3News (@wkyc) June 10, 2018
However, just trading for Andre Drummond won’t be enough to convince LeBron James to stay in Cleveland. They might be having a huge upgrade at the center position, but the Cavaliers will be missing Kevin Love’s ability to space the floor. As King James Gospel noted, the Cavaliers should consider engaging in another blockbuster deal to further improve their roster.
Also, it remains a huge question if the Pistons are willing to trade Drummond for Love. Despite his inability to shoot three-pointers, Drummond is undeniably a better player than Love, especially on the defensive ends of the floor. Love is also more comfortable playing at the power forward position, making him an odd fit with Blake Griffin. Playing alongside Griffin will force Love to play as the Pistons’ starting center. The 2017-18 NBA season proved that Love isn’t fitted to play at 5, and the Pistons’ defense will surely suffer like what happened to the Cavaliers.
