Andre Drummond Given -250 Odds to Be Traded By Deadline; Hawks Are Odds-On Favorite

• Pistons center Andre Drummond is favored to be traded before the deadline
• The Atlanta Hawks are strong favorites at the books, ahead of Boston and Toronto
• Matching salary and Detroit’s outlook makes the situation hard to predict

Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond is -250 to be dealt before the trade deadline. The Atlanta Hawks, one of the worst teams in the NBA, are the heavy favorites to work out a deal for Drummond.

The Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors are joint-second favorites in the market, sitting at +500.

The Celts are sixth favorites in the 2020 NBA Championship odds. If healthy, Toronto will see themselves as a dark horse to make it out of the East. The scenario is different for the Hawks, meanwhile, who are still rebuilding and are headed for the depths of the lottery once again.

Andre Drummond Trade Odds

Odds taken Jan. 6th

Looming Player Option

Drummond is owed over $27 million in 2019-20 and possesses a player option just shy of $29 million for next season.

While it is expected he won’t take the option and will almost certainly test out free agency, there’s still a possibility he sticks with the contract and pockets over $28 million in 2020-21.

Circumstances can change quickly in the NBA and a poor second half of the season or serious injury could alter Drummond’s contract situation.

This past offseason saw the majority of NBA teams hand out long-term contracts, leaving only a handful of franchises with cash for what is an underwhelming free agent crop.

Drummond has been clear in the past he intends to opt out, however, and any team trading for him will be assuming that he will stick to that.

Trade Likelihood

The Pistons’ record is something to keep an eye on as Detroit is in the uncomfortable middle between contention and the lottery. Still in the race for a playoff spot, dealing Drummond might not necessarily be a popular move, though it will avoid them losing him for nothing in the summer.

A strong run from the Pistons could see them tone down the trade talks, but rumors of season-ending knee surgery for Blake Griffin increase the likelihood that Detroit will fall out of playoff contention and Drummond is dealt.

With such a sizeable contract, a trade for Drummond is far from simple. Matching salary isn’t easy for many of the teams linked with the three-time league rebounding leader.

Boston would need to include Gordon Hayward or Marcus Smart in a deal for the salary to work, which seems unlikely. Toronto have the money to match in Serge Ibaka, Kyle Lowry and Marc Gasol, but it’s hard to see them including any of that trio in a win-now move for Drummond.

Hawks Looking to Swoop In

The Hawks are the main team mentioned in reports about a Drummond trade, leading to their status as the favorites. Salary matching is no such issue for Atlanta, who have plenty of contracts to move. Chandler Parsons and his $25 million contract would be ideal along with the Nets’ 2020 first-round pick, which has been mentioned by Adrian Wojnarowski.

Andre Drummond is such an intriguing target for the Hawks. He's never played with a passer as good as Trae Young or on a team that runs as much pick-and-roll as Atlanta. Drummond has scored 1.2 points per roll to the rim in his career. Young could create easier chances than ever. pic.twitter.com/0V20pq4KS6

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) January 3, 2020

It’s a curious move for Travis Schlenk to make when the Hawks are sitting 8-28 with the worst record in the NBA and Drummond would likely walk at the end of the year. There’s no question Drummond improves the Hawks, bringing elite rebounding to the worst team on the boards in the league, and rim protection that they have lacked (Drummond’s opponent field goal percentage inside six feet is just over 49% – Alen Len is over 53%).

Despite that, the trade only really makes sense if they are expecting to extend the two-time All-Star.

Atlanta have the assets to make the deal, though the reasoning for it is questionable. Current reporting makes them obvious favorites, but Detroit’s asking price may well be higher than the Hawks are willing to pay when they could wait until the summer to sign Drummond. The Charlotte Hornets might be the dark horses in this one with their contracts to trade and as they look to play post-season basketball for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign.