Pistons Trade Andre Drummond to Cavaliers; Both Teams Eastern Conference Odds Remain Distant +25000

• Pistons deal all-star center Andre Drummond to Cavaliers on NBA Trade Deadline day
• Cavaliers have logjam in frontcourt with Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and Larry Nance Jr.
• Read below to see if this trade could make an impact on either team next year

While there were some pretty important deals during the NBA trade deadline, you can file the Andre Drummond deal to the Cavaliers under “puzzling” and “inconsequential”.

To be fair, both teams were clearly looking for something, though the one deal seemed like a springboard to open the gates to even more wheeling and dealing that never materialized.

In the end, the move amounted to nil in either team’s 2020 Eastern Conference odds.

Odds to Win NBA Eastern Conference

*Odds from Feb 6

With this season already a wash, is there any chance that this move will lead to greener pastures as soon as next season? Let’s explore.

Pistons Done with Mediocre Roster

It’s safe to say Detroit’s front office has taken an L in recent years, putting together a roster of failed moves, like  expecting Reggie Jackson to be a star guard and committing to a 5-year, $80 million pact. They also acquired Blake Griffin and his bloated contract, hoping the oft-injured forward could regain the form that made him an MVP candidate in the middle aughts. Instead, Griffin is battling injuries and has a couple of years left on a deal that will pay him more than $36.5 million next year, with a player option the following year for just under $39 million.

If there’s one thing I learned about the NBA, there’s no friends or loyalty. I’ve given my heart and soul to the Pistons , and to be have this happen with no heads up makes me realize even more that this is just a business! I love you Detroit…

— Andre Drummond (@AndreDrummond) February 6, 2020

The other piece of that big three — if you can call it that — is Drummond, who was likely to opt out of his player option this summer to become an unrestricted free agent. But Detroit’s haul was equivalent to letting him walk for nothing: Brandon Knight was an original pick of the franchise in 2011, and has been on a five-team odyssey in nine years, returning with a paltry 4.9 point per game average this year.

Andre Drummond went off for 31 Pts and 19 Reb on Feb 5th. pic.twitter.com/Jpt020aT0k

— Everything Cleveland (@everythingcle_) February 7, 2020

John Henson has been a career backup and spent his first seven years in Milwaukee before coming to Cleveland this year. He’s also pumping in less than five points a game. The final part of the deal is a second round pick. It’s a bad deal for a team that desperately needs assets to rebuild.

Next Pistons Trade:

Lakers: Hey Detroit, y'all want Robert Sacre? He's been working out hard lately

Pistons: Yeah, we'll throw you Blake Griffin and a first

— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) February 6, 2020

For context, consider the Miami Heat offered budding star Justice Winslow, capable rotation players in Dion Waiter and James Johnson for 36-year-old Andre Iguodala as the centrepiece in return – a guy who averaged 5.7 points for the Warriors last year.

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old Drummond is in the midst of a stellar big man season, averaging 17.8 points, and a league-leading 15.8 rebounds on 53% shooting from the field.

Cavaliers Could Build on the Fly

It’s been a crazy year in Cleveland and for none of the good things. As the team shifts its attention to the continued development of young backcourt prospects Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, the holdover vets from those Cavs title runs are in no man’s land. In the case of Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson, they are both solid top-6 rotation players that have plenty left in the tank, they just happen to be giving it to a team going nowhere fast.

Angry Kevin Love is the best Kevin Love 😂 https://t.co/B4ONylSqDf

— CleWest (@erjmanlasvegas) January 5, 2020

The frustration is honest and has seeped out several times for Love, but all appears to be back to normal … if getting beat with little fight amounts to normal.

This move is a 30+ game sample to see if Drummond can anchor a core and stabilize it. Best-case scenario, there is some promise. Sexton and Garland are the future, and their defensive failings can be funnelled into the seven-footer. They also have a new pick-and-roll partner that can finish at the rim, who can go to work in the paint when Cleveland’s offense bogs down.

Kevin Love wanted no parts of this poster 🤣 #NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/zUiJp7hBJK

— Stadium (@Stadium) February 6, 2020

The most important element, though, is that Drummond’s presence could unlock Love, as his new frontcourt mate can do the heavy lifting, leaving Love to be that multi-talented force that could be the centrepiece of the offense.

Should they sign Drummond, then Thompson or Larry Nance Jr (or both) become great trade pieces in a crowded frontcourt, and maybe they turn that into a productive, athletic wing to round out their starting five.

What’s Next?

The Pistons are probably just going to let the remaining bloated salaries on their roster bleed out, and hope they land a star in the near future. They have a ways to go. If you’re looking for a longshot to contend for the East next year, watch how the new-look Cavs play out the stretch. Even then, you’d have to have deep pockets or an Ohio residence to wager on them.