Clippers Reportedly Interested in Potential Andre Drummond Trade
By Jackson Thompson
Detroit Piston big man Andre Drummond is one of the most available prominent trade pieces in the run up to this week's NBA trade deadline, and another potential buyer has emerged: the Los Angeles Clippers.
As first reported by Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Clippers are among the teams considering making a play for Drummond with an eye toward a challenging matchup against the likes of the Utah Jazz or Denver Nuggets. As he notes, a package could be built around big man Ivica Zubac, forward JaMychal Green, and wing Maurice Harkless, though there's no indication that such a deal has been placed on the table.
#Clippers reportedly have shown interested in #Pistons Andre Drummond, looking to bolster the center position in potential playoff matchup with #Jazz or #Nuggets.@WindhorstESPN mentioned Moe Harkless, JaMychal Green and Ivica Zubac as possible options.
— Rod Beard (@detnewsRodBeard) February 4, 2020
Over the past five seasons, Andre Drummond has 286 double-doubles, the most of any player over that span. His presence for the Clippers would be a substantial upgrade over Zubac, who has averaged eight points and seven rebounds per game this season. Drummond, a two-time All- Star, has averaged 14.4 points and a terrific 14.9 rebounds.
Notably, he's led the league in rebounding for three of the last four seasons.
The Clips have won eight of their last 10, and are now only three games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 1 seed in the West. A Drummond acquisition, while expensive, could be the move that puts them over the top when the games truly start to matter.
If the Western Conferences Finals do in fact come down to a Staples Center showdown between the Lakers and Clippers, nothing can be left up to chance. Expect Doc Rivers and Co. to leave no stone unturned.