The Atlanta Hawks (7-27) are rumored to to be one of many teams to have spoken with the Detroit Pistons (12-23) about trading for the franchise center.
Weeks ago, the Atlanta Hawks front office promised Trae Young they would make roster moves to get him more help.
John Collins returned from his suspension, and from his early performances, it seemed he would be the missing piece. However, Trae Young went down with an injury in Collins’ second game after his suspension. In Young’s absence, the Hawks weren’t any better with a record of 1-2, with the sole win occurring during a career night for Brandon Goodwin.
On Friday afternoon, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke word that Detroit Pistons big man, Andre Drummond, is likely to be moved before the trade deadline and the Atlanta Hawks are among the top suitors.
Detroit and Atlanta have been engaged in talks on a trade centered on Andre Drummond, league sources tell ESPN. No deal imminent, but Detroit is talking to Hawks and several other teams on Drummond, sources said.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 3, 2020
This would be a great acquisition for the Atlanta Hawks. The biggest hole in the roster is the center position. Alex Len has been serviceable lately, but aside from the last few weeks, Len, Damian Jones, and Bruno Fernando have been disappointing or ineffective.
Andre Drummond is the best rebounder in the NBA and has been a large part of any success the Detroit Pistons have seen since he was drafted in 2012.
This season alone, in 33.6 minutes per game, Drummond is averaging 17.6 points, 15.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 2.0 steals per game. He is a streaky player, however. For instance, in his first ten games of the season, Drummond was averaging 21.2 points, 18.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 blocks, and 1.5 assists in comparable minutes.
In the direction the NBA is moving, the Hawks would be better suited acquiring a center that could shoot from anywhere on the floor, but unfortunately, that isn’t Drummond. 58.4 percent of his shots are within 0-3 feet of the basket and 34.2 percent are from 3-10 feet. Drummond struggles to hit even from there, as he shoots 38.6 percent from 3-10 feet. He’s shown little to no ability to stretch the floor, and unless he makes a Marc Gasol-esque change in his game, it’s safe to assume this is as offensively talented as Drummond gets.
Drummond might be offensively limited, but he is still young and the best rebounder in the NBA. If the Atlanta Hawks have a shot at trading for him, they should take it. They have moveable contracts and young players to make a deal work. If Drummond is willing to re-sign with the Hawks when he is a free agent, he could be the final piece of an Atlanta Hawks big-three — something very reminiscent of the Lob-City LA Clippers.