NBA Rumors: Depending on how this season plays out for the Detroit Pistons, there’s a good chance Andre Drummond walks in free agency next summer
The Detroit Pistons were a bit of a surprise last season when they made the playoffs. Despite having one of the biggest names in the NBA, in Blake Griffin, not many had the Pistons penciled in as a playoff team in the Eastern Conference.
Another big piece to their puzzle over the past few years, in addition to Blake, has been Andre Drummond. The 26-year-old center is coming off a career year in which he averaged 17 points, 16 rebounds and nearly two blocks per game on 53 percent shooting from the field.
But as he enters the final year of his contract (which actually has a player option for next season), he has hinted that he could hit the free-agent market next summer. Which is certainly interesting considering that next summer’s free agency class is especially weak.
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"[via Osgood Shoot-Out 2019, Piston Powered]“You’ve got a lot of years left, you’re still a young guy,” a reporter said before being cut off.“I’m a free agent next summer,” Drummond said.“Are you looking forward to that,” the reporter followed.“Yeah, it should be fun,” Drummond said. “I’m excited. I think I’m the only one that has a big contract coming up for the year.”"
To say the least, this is extremely interesting. For one, he’s clearly aware that the free-agent class is weak. Which could suggest that he could be looking to take advantage of just that to cash in with a huge contract. And two, and perhaps the most clear of the two, he’s extremely excited to be a free agent.
Like most highly touted players, he’s spent the first seven years of his career with the Pistons. It’s tough to read him through these quotes – and through the video linked – at whether he’s simply excited about breaking the bank one more time or if he’s excited about the possibility of signing with a different franchise, but nonetheless, Drummond is sitting pretty right now.
Assuming that he could get through the 2019-20 season with a clean bill of health, Drummond could be the most sought after free agent next summer. Then again, there are plenty of different factors that make that statement complicated, especially considering that the NBA is quicly moving away from the center positino. Nevertheless, Drummond should be on his way to a very big payday.
And from the sound of it, it looks like Andre Drummond is looking for it to come next summer.