The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Cavs’ Drummond ‘definitely’ picking up his player option
Cavaliers center Andre Drummond intends to pick up his $28.75 million player option for the 2020-21 season, he said Tuesday.
Drummond was a guest of Jon “Stugotz” Weiner on the latest episode of the ESPN podcast “Le Batard & Friends - STUpodity.”
“That’s going to be hard to give up, so you can count on me being in Cleveland still,” the former UConn star said on the podcast. “I definitely will be in Cleveland, 100 percent.”
A two-time All-Star acquired in a stunning trade from the Detroit Pistons at the February deadline, Drummond played only eight games for the Cavs before the league suspended play due to COVID-19. The team went 4-4 with Drummond.
The amount of money available in free agency is expected to be impacted by the pandemic and the NBA’s plan to resume play without fans. The market for big men also appears to be dwindling. The free agency negotiating period is slated to open at 6 p.m. on Oct. 18.
Drummond, 26, averaged 17.7 points and 11.1 rebounds for the Cavs. In 57 games for the Pistons and Cavs in 2019-20, he led the league in rebounding with a 15.2 average, along with 17.5 points.
“Honestly it’s not hard living in Cleveland, even though I’ve only been there for a couple weeks,” Drummond said on the podcast. “Cleveland is very similar to Detroit, just on a smaller scale. I lived in Detroit for eight years, so going to Cleveland was just going down the street pretty much.
”I enjoyed being in Cleveland. I think the people there are outstanding, the fan base is super dope. I enjoyed playing there; I love playing there. The coaching staff is good, the team is young, so it’s good to work with.”
The Cavs (19-46) went 5-6 after J.B. Bickerstaff was promoted from associate head coach after coach John Beilein stepped down.