The Cleveland Cavaliers no longer intend to play Andre Drummond because they are working on trading the All-Star center twice before the NBA deadline of March 25, sources told ESPN.
The Knights are moving in the direction of making Jarrett Allen the long-term starting point for the franchise and believe it is unfair for Drummond to limit his minutes while the organization prioritizes Allen’s development, sources said.
The general manager of the Cavaliers, Koby Altman, discussed the move with Drummond and his agent, Jeff Schwartz from Excel Sports and together decided that the center will remain in the team, but will no longer be active for games, according to sources.
Drummond did not play in the Cavaliers’ loss to the LA Clippers on Sunday night, and that will continue Monday against the Golden State Warriors in the future. The Cavs said Drummond missed Sunday’s game to rest and came to the game wearing a “goodbye” sweatshirt.
When he was contacted on Monday morning, Schwartz did not confirm or reject the version, but told ESPN: “Regardless of the direction he takes, Andre is 27 years old and I strongly believe he has a lot to add. “
Drummond is playing a contract that expires this season for $ 28.7 million, which makes matching salaries in a transaction a huge challenge. He averaged 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds this season in 25 games as a starter. Sources have indicated that there are several teams interested in him and that the Knights will work to find a favorable trade for the parties.
Moreover, there was no discussion about a contractual acquisition that could allow Drummond to become a free agent, the sources said.
Drummond’s future with the Cavs faded last month, when Cleveland traded with 22-year-old Allen, who became the center of the franchise’s future. Drummond will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, while Allen will be a restricted free agent.
Allen played well in 15 games with the Cavs, averaging 13.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks. Cleveland Coach, JB Bickerstaff, recently moved Allen to the starting line.
An experiment in several games that played Drummond and Allen together was unsuccessful because the Cavs dropped in results as they are in a series of seven games lost. Kevin Love, who came out in December with a calf injury, is expected to return this week.