Cavaliers, big man Andre Drummond agree to part ways

Andre Drummond has played his last game for the Cavaliers. The Cavs reached an agreement over the weekend with Drummond and agent Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports that the veteran center will no longer be active for games. Drummond, who became increasingly disgruntled with his playing time after the Cavs acquired 22-year-old center Jarrett Allen from Brooklyn on Jan. 13, will remain with the team as Cleveland pursues a trade ahead of the March 25 NBA deadline. According to reports, the Cavs are not close to finalizing a deal and there haven't been talks between general manager Koby Altman and Schwartz of buying out the remaining portion of Drummond's contract, which expires at the end of this season. The 6-foot-11, 279-pound center is earning $28.75 million in the final season of a five-year, $127 million contract originally signed with the Detroit Pistons. Teams that reportedly have expressed an interest in Drummond include Boston, Charlotte, Portland, the Los Angeles Clippers and Brooklyn, with New York and Atlanta looming as possibilities. The Cavs are unlikely to get much in return because the 27-year-old Drummond will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, but it wouldn't be shocking if Altman tried to pull off a deal for 6-5 Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie, though that probably would require a third team to make it work under salary cap trade rules. A seventh-year pro, Dinwiddie will miss the rest of the regular season with a partially torn right anterior cruciate ligament. He played only three games this season and averaged 6.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists in a limited role, but last season, with Kevin Durant injured, Kyrie Irving appearing in just 20 games and James Harden not yet in Brooklyn, those numbers were 20.6, 3.5 and 6.8. Dinwiddie is making $11.45 million this season and has a player option for $12.3 million in 2021-22, so Altman not only would have to take on the salary of another player to make such a deal legal, he'd also run the risk of Dinwiddie opting out of the final year of his contract. However, given that he's out with an ACL injury, Dinwiddie will likely exercise his player option in the offseason. Regardless of what happens, the positive aspect from a Cleveland perspective is that it didn't give up much to acquire Drummond, who was obtained from Detroit on Feb. 8, 2020, for journeyman guard Brandon Knight, oft-injured center John Henson and a second-round draft pick in 2023 (the lower choice between Cleveland's pick and one that originally belonged to Golden State) simply because the Pistons didn't want to pay him any longer. After a monstrous start this season, Drummond's minutes — and production and demeanor — started going downhill after the Cavs acquired Allen, who is viewed as the team's future in the middle. The ninth-year pro played just 17 minutes and scored eight points Friday vs. Denver and was not active — the Cavs originally said he was out to "rest" — Sunday against the Clippers, when Cleveland lost its seventh straight game and for the 11th time in 13 games to fall to 10-18. He reportedly showed up for that game wearing a sweatshirt that said "Farewell" on the front. Drummond averaged 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds this season for the Cavs, who concluded a five-game road trip Monday night against Golden State. The two-time All-Star has captured four league rebounding titles, but has only been to the playoffs twice in his career. Detroit was eliminated in the first round both times. Unlike Drummond, Allen is not a low-post, scoring center, so he requires far fewer touches offensively, which in theory makes him a much better fit to play with young, ball-dominant guards Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. Allen will be a restricted free agent at the end of this season, meaning the Cavs can — and almost certainly will — match any contract offer he receives from another team. Cleveland also can simply sign Allen to a long-term deal. Given the league-wide lack of attendance due to COVID-19, it's unclear how big of a contract Allen will receive, but he figures to command $13-17 million per season for multiple years. The Cavs also have 13th-year pro Kevin Love, who is in the second season of a four-year, $120 million contract extension. Love has appeared in just two games this season due to a strained calf, but has upped his workouts and should be back within the next week or so. It will be virtually impossible to trade Love given his contract and injury history, meaning Cleveland's options basically are keep him or buy out the remainder of his deal, which would cost owner Dan Gilbert a ton of money. Contact Rick Noland at (330) 721-4061 or rnoland@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @RickNoland on Twitter.