data-mm-id=”_2da8cr55b”>The Detroit Pistons went all-in when they traded for Blake Griffin in February of 2018. Just under two years later, nothing has gone right. Griffin had a career year in 2018-19, but his body failed him as the playoffs approached and Detroit was swept by Milwaukee in the first round. Three months into the 2019-20 season, things haven't gotten much better; the Pistons sit at 12-23 on the season while Griffin struggles with injuries, and the path forward for the team is murky. Former top-10 pick Andre Drummond has been a consistent contributor over that timespan, but doesn't have the skillset required to win the team games on his own. He also has a $28 million player option at the end of this season that he seems likely to decline in order to test the free agent market, and it could be his last season in a Detroit uniform, considering the Pistons don't have a lot of cap space to work with. As such, Adrian Wojnarowski reported yesterday they had engaged in trade talks with the Atlanta Hawks involving Drummond, and Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo! Sports reported several other teams were interested as well. The Pistons clearly don't want to lose Drummond for nothing, and a trade ahead of the deadline seems more likely than not at this point. He won't put up a lot of points and is still a suspect free throw shooter, but it's no exaggeration to say Drummond is one of the greatest rebounders of this generation and can at least operate as a deterrent on the defensive end of the floor due to his athleticism and propensity for steals. Here are three teams that could reach out to Detroit to acquire Drummond's services. Atlanta Hawks As ESPN reported, the Hawks are the only team that have officially engaged Detroit in trade talks for Drummond. They have the worst record in the NBA despite a second-year surge from Trae Young in a year where they were supposed to make tangible progress. Drummond is good friend with Young, and while John Collins has yet to reach anywhere near his potential, he's a bit undersized as a five against some teams and hasn't been able to stay on the court after a PED suspension and left Friday night's matchup with the Celtics with a back contusion. The Hawks would only have to send Chandler Parsons' $25 million expiring contract to make the numbers work, and could attach the Nets' lottery-protected first-rounder (which seems likely to end up in the low 20s at this point) as well to make it worth Detroit's while. Drummond would make an excellent pick-and-roll partner with Young, and his ability to suck up any rebound in his general space would take the load off Atlanta's cadre of young wings in their undersized starting five. This makes sense for both sides. Dallas Mavericks One of the teams rumored to be interested in Drummond, the Mavericks have made the jump from average to very good quicker than anyone imagined thanks to the MVP-caliber play of second-year superstar Luka Doncic. They want to capitalize on their window while it's there, and Drummond could help them do just that. He would fit well with Kristaps Porzingis, given the Latvian big man has spent far more of his time on the perimeter than down low this season, and would give the Mavs a traditional big man option against the bigger teams in the NBA. But if the Mavs wanted to land Drummond, they'd have to give up Tim Hardaway Jr., who has emerged as an important player for them, and also has two more years left on his deal with a yearly salary of $20 million– and it's hard to say if Detroit would be interested in taking on an additional year of salary. The Mavs also don't have a lot going for them in the draft pick department after the Porzingis trade, but could offer up Golden State's second-round pick, which seems likely to end up at the very top of the second round this year. It wouldn't be the best deal on the table for Detroit, but they'd get something out of it. Toronto Raptors Another team rumored to be interested in the former UConn star, Drummond fits Toronto's timeline and would give them an infusion of youthful talent in the frontcourt that they currently lack outside of Pascal Siakam. Matching salaries would be easy– Toronto would only need to send Serge Ibaka's expiring deal to make the numbers work. The bigger question is what else they'd be willing to part with. They own their first-round pick this season, but would they be willing to take the risk of sending that asset for a player they'd have to pay big money to keep, if he wanted to stay at all? They do have a cadre of young players who have looked very good in limited time, but giving up this early on a player like Chris Boucher for Drummond is a risky maneuver. But if Toronto is dedicated to going all-in this season in an East that looks wide-open behind the Bucks, Drummond would be a big help. He could pick up defensive tips from Marc Gasol while hitting the boards and lead the second unit when Siakam hits the bench.
Related Posts
Mauricio Pochettino described it as a gift to have Kylian Mbappe after the forward demonstrated his abilities with both goals in Paris Saint-Germain s 2-0 win over Reims.
Mbappe has been the centre of much transfer speculation having apparently told the club he wants to leave. Real Madrid are seemingly the only runner in the race to sign a player who is in the final year of his current contract at PSG.
There was no questioning his commitment to his current employers on Sunday, though, as the 22-year-old scored twice at Stade Auguste Delaune, in the process overshadowing a debut appearance off the bench for new recruit Lionel Messi.
Madrid have reportedly had two bids rejected for Mbappe, with sporting director Leonardo making clear PSG hope he stays in the Fre…
According to a recent report over in Italy, Ivan Perisic is still a major target for Tottenham Hotspur this summer. The next few months are set to be incredibly interesting for Spurs fans, as the club begins to start a new era in their new stadium. With that new stadium will come a brand new look for the team, with many fans expecting some big alterations in the squad during the summer transfer window. One of those changes could see World Cup star Ivan Perisic arrive in North London, after months of speculation over his future.
The Inter Milan midfielder could well be available for £30 million, which many fans will see as a bargain when taking the inflation rates of modern day football into consideration.
Perisic has been with Inter since back in 2015 when he joined fr…
A team bus carrying the players and officials of Asante Kotoko, the most successful club in Ghana s Premier League, has been involved in a serious accident.
One death and multiple injuries have been reported from the incident on Wednesday, which took place as Asante Kokoto travelled back from their 1-0 loss to Inter Allies in Accra.
The club confirmed on Twitter that the bus collided with a stationary vehicle and that personnel on the bus are generally fine .
However, some of those involved have been transported for treatment at the Holy Family Hospital in Nkawkaw.
The accident occurred around 9:45pm at Nkawkaw, when our bus ran into a stationary vehicle.
— Asante Kotoko SC (@AsanteKotoko_SC)
Personnel on the bus are generally fine. Som…
Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick and Neymar made his return from a three-month injury lay-off as Paris Saint-Germain began their Ligue 1 title celebrations with a 3-1 win over visitors Monaco on Sunday.
PSG were already confirmed as champions earlier in the day after second-placed Lille could only draw 0-0 with Toulouse, and Thomas Tuchel s men subsequently played with freedom in an emphatic triumph inspired by Mbappe against his old club.
The lethal Mbappe took only 15 minutes to make his mark at the end of a stunning counter-attack and he doubled his tally just before half-time, rounding off another well-worked move.
Neymar – fit again after breaking his foot in January – came on at the interval to a huge cheer, before Mbappe completed his treble in the …
Wilfried Zaha described his time at Manchester United as hell and slammed the club for failing to offer him adequate support as a young player.
The Ivorian forward arrived at United from Crystal Palace for a reported £10million in June 2013 but played just 28 minutes of Premier League football for the Red Devils before being temporarily sent to Cardiff City.
Zaha returned to Selhurst Park on loan in August 2014 and made a permanent switch to the Eagles in February 2015, bringing end to his association with a club he says never gave him a chance.
Obviously, getting to United isn t easy, so not being given a chance is hard to take, the winger told The Sun.
I went through so much with United, with England. There were rumours that the reason I wasn t play…
Eden Hazard has consistently been one of the Premier League s best players since he joined from Lille in 2012, but he has seemingly found another level following Maurizio Sarri s appointment.
Hazard s start to the 2018-19 season has been truly exceptional, with the Belgium international scoring seven times in eight Premier League games ahead of the visit of Manchester United and former coach Jose Mourinho this weekend.
Sarri s appointment as coach was always highlighted as a potential boost to Chelsea s attackers following more the more pragmatic approaches of Antonio Conte and Mourinho.
It was under the latter that Hazard enjoyed two of his best seasons at Chelsea, but Sarri seems to have transformed him into a player capable of challenging for the Ballon d Or.<…
David Henderson, the organiser of the flight responsible for the deaths of Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson, has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.
Henderson, 67, was last month found guilty of endangering the safety of an aircraft.
Sala was on his way to Cardiff City on January 21, 2019, after signing from Ligue 1 club Nantes for £15million (€20m) when his plane came down over the English Channel, killing the striker, 28, and the pilot, Ibbotson, 59.
The court was previously told Henderson arranged the flight with football agent William McKay and asked Mr Ibbotson to fly the plane as he was in Paris on holiday.
Mr Ibbotson – who did not hold a commercial pilot s licence – was not qualified to fly at night and his rating to fly the single-en…
Australia were forced to settle for a point in their World Cup qualifier against China after a 1-1 draw in the UAE.
After winning 11 games in a row, including a 3-0 victory against China in the reverse fixture in September, the Socceroos are now winless in three – their worst such run since June 2018.
Australia led in this match, though, following a quiet start, as Martin Boyle s cross was headed in emphatically by Mitch Duke seven minutes before the break.
Despite creating little for the first hour, China were level on 70 minutes when James Jeggo was adjudged by a VAR review to have handled in the penalty area, allowing Wu Lei to send Mat Ryan the wrong way from the spot.
Both sides pushed for a winner in the closing stages, but neither came …
According to a recent report from AS, Ivan Rakitic will not be leaving Barcelona during the summer transfer window as many had initially though. The Croatian midfielder is believed to be a big target for Manchester United, although Ernesto Valverde is incredibly eager to keep him on the books at the Nou Camp. Rakitic has been with Barca since back in 2014 when he joined from fellow La Liga club Sevilla, where he had spent the previous three years of his career. At the age of 31 he seems to be moving into the prime of his career, both with club and country.
Barcelona are currently on a great run of form in all competitions, with many tipping them as the favourites to win the UEFA Champions League this season.
Rakitic has been a huge part of that midfield consistency in L…
Vinicius Junior insisted he wants to stay with Real Madrid when asked to put a price tag on his potential worth amid an excellent run of form.
The Brazil international is into his fourth season with LaLiga s leaders and has formed a fruitful partnership with Karim Benzema this campaign to put Madrid eight points clear after 16 games.
The pair rank as the joint-best attacking duo across Europe s top five leagues this term with 22 goals between them, the same amount as Bayern Munich s Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry combined.
Indeed, Vinicius has netted 10 times in 16 top-flight appearances so far, becoming the first player born in 2000 or later to reach double figures for goals in a single LaLiga season.
The former Flamengo attacker was asked to valu…