Andre Drummond was the biggest buyout signing that the Los Angeles Lakers could have made and they hit a home run by bringing him in. Drummond was not only the biggest name on the buyout market this season, but he directly filled a need for the Lakers.
Drummond has played five games with the Lakers at the time of writing this and he has endured a bit of a slow start. He is not producing as much offensively as some fans would have expected, especially with the injuries to the marquee stars in LA.
However, as we broke down yesterday, there is no reason to worry about Drummond’s slow start. It will all work out in the end.
Drummond absolutely helps the team in its pursuit to repeat as NBA Champions this season, but what about the future? Marc Gasol signed a two-year deal but he cannot be trusted to be the starter next year and Devontae Cacok probably isn’t starting center worthy.
Rob Pelinka is always operating with the future in mind. Of course, the concern is on this season, but this summer is not far past the moves he is making this year. This raises a question with Drummond:
Will Andre Drummond return to the Los Angeles Lakers next year?
While anything is possible, it is safe to say that Drummond will not follow in Markieff Morris’ footsteps and re-up with the team after this season. It has nothing to do with his poor play thus far, either.
There are two compelling reasons why Andre Drummond will not be donning the purple and gold past this 2020-21 season. Let’s get into them.
1. Andre Drummond is not going to fit under the Los Angeles Lakers’ budget
The Los Angeles Lakers are already in a bit of a cap situation after this season. Dennis Schroder rejected the team’s four-year, $84 million extension and they are going to have to pony up even more money to keep him around. Montrezl Harrell has a player option and both Alex Caruso and Talen Horton-Tucker are free agents.
The Lakers already do not have much wiggle room and they are going to have to decide on the future of those three players plus the future at the center position as well as replacing smaller role players like Wesley Matthews and Markieff Morris if they sign elsewhere.
You could make the case that Drummond is part of those plans but I think he will price himself out of LA. Drummond is not going to get the contract that he previously had, which was untradeable, but there will be a team out there that is willing to give him $16-20 million over two years.
With all of the other variables, it does not make sense for the Los Angeles Lakers to pay that much for Andre Drummond.
All the proof we need is Tristan Thompson. Thompson is essentially the 90% version of Andre Drummond and the Boston Celtics signed him to a two-year, $18.9 million contract last offseason. The floor for Drummond is $16 million over two years.
2. There are cheaper center options for the Los Angeles Lakers
Andre Drummond was a great signing for the Los Angeles Lakers, let’s not forget that. However, there is a reason why teams have been bad when he is the best player and why nobody was willing to trade for him and his expiring contract at the deadline.
Drummond is exactly what the Lakers needed, but he is not the only person in the league that offers what the Lakers need. The Lakers are not only capable of finding what they need in another player, but for cheaper as well.
The Lakers need rebounding and rim protection. JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard provided that last season and they did a great job doing so and did so for cheap. If Drummond does not have a market and is a cheap signing then perfect. If not, go sign someone for cheaper to produce at a similar output.
Speaking of McGee, he will be a free agent after this season. Robin Lopez will be a free agent, Hassan Whiteside, Cody Zeller, Nerlens Noel, heck, even Dwight Howard. Some of those guys might get a larger contract close to Drummond, most will get a cheaper one-year deal.
With so many alternatives and other variables in the offseason, re-signing Drummond should be low on the team’s priority list.
So enjoy Andre Drummond now and let’s hope that he can become a key part of an NBA Finals run. It is likely that we won’t see him in the purple and gold after this run.