Last winter, Knicks copper traded internally for Detroit center Andre Drummond, who had an opt-out clause to become a free agent.
The Knicks were not too worried about keeping Drummond if he were to take away. The Mount Vernon native, the Knicks believe, will likely want to sign with his hometown team again.
In fact, the then president of the Knicks, Steve Mills, is close to Drummond’s family.
Eventually, the Knicks decided against it and committed themselves to rebuilding and center Mitchell Robinson. On February 6, Drummond was handed over to the Cavaliers. He exercised his $ 28.7 million option for 2020-21 due to the shortened pandemic-free agency, and he stayed in Cleveland.
Flash forward a year later and the Cavaliers try to trade the former UConn star as well as a lease. They chose the two-time All-Star this week until they reached an agreement.
The birds of prey, confirmed sources, are in the bid. But it’s not an easy financial trade with Drummond’s substantial wages.
As Robinson leaves the hospital for special surgery after the shooting, until the middle to the end of March, the Knicks have to look at Drummond – not just as a hire, but also to build a piece with Julius Randle.
Some members of the Knicks organization are not sure Randle and Drummond will make the right pass. Some in the league feel that Robinson is a better long-term piece to build, despite his lack of progress.
Will Robinson continue to build his game into more than just a shot / rebounder / alley open master? The Knicks have a $ 1.8 million team option for Robinson for next season so they can find out cheaply.
The Knicks still have $ 15 million worth of cap space to facilitate a Drummond trade mathematically. They have accumulated enough concept capital that some can be saved. There are also two youngsters from the rotation for whom the Cavaliers may be hungry – Kevin Knox or Frank Ntilikina.
If Drummond is cheap, what should the Knicks lose if they find he and Randle do not mix?
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau drew every ounce of talent from this team. They were on the verge of the .500 point in Orlando on Wednesday ahead of their boring second half of 33 points.
In fact, the Knicks won 14-16 this season, healthier than most clubs.
Robinson was the first major accident and his absence eventually hurt them in Orlando. No easy garbage buckets that make offensive setbacks, alley-open slams, momentum-turn blocked shots or important defensive rebounds. The new starter Nerlens Noel is a poor Robinson and does everything slightly less efficiently.
Note, Robinson is not a sure thing as a forward in a legitimate playoff team. The rookie lottery and power forward Obi Toppin, is not a sure thing as a future appetizer, plucked from a historically bad concept, as one scout said. ‘
Robinson is frequently injured due to the reckless – and wonderful – way he plays and fights. He flies around the track and blocks shots on the 3-point line. He broke his hand during a block attempt when he collided with Randle’s elbow on Friday in Washington.
Robinson is an old school center and so is the wreck ball Drummond, although Drummond’s game grows at age 27. Robinson’s offensive repertoire has not grown.
Drummond has been a double-double machine for a few years now, but now he shoots better throws (59.7 percent). Scouts say he is one of the few centers who can take a setback and push the ball upwards. He has ball skills and he has become a good passer.
Drummond’s strong numbers still seem bigger than the whole picture, but he scored 17.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He was also very durable in his nine-year career.
According to sources, the Knicks are “sitting for now” about the center situation. They want to see the Noel-Taj Gibson center tandem play out as they fight for a playoff spot.
Before defeating the Knicks, Orlando coach Steve Clifford paid tribute, saying: “They will be one of the teams that do not want to play against. I do not think there is a bigger compliment in this league than to play hard. do not play. ”
At some point, Leon Rose needs to improve their talent level. Orlando eliminated the Knicks without their best player, Aaron Gordon, key player James Ennis and starting guard Markelle Fultz.
Even Jeff Van Gundy recently said that the Knicks “do not have enough offensive talent.” Meanwhile, the 2021 free-agent class that the Knicks watched dried up after a quiet signing period in November.
Thibodeau wants to win this season – and in the future. The kid from Mount Vernon can help the Knicks do both.