INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Andre Drummond didn’t believe the news at first -- that he had been traded by the Detroit Pistons, the only franchise he ever knew, the one that made him a top 10 pick in 2012 and organizational pillar with a five-year max contract four years later.
“Thought it was a joke at first,” Drummond said following his first practice with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday afternoon.
But then it hit him. After nearly eight years in Detroit, his Pistons career had come to an end.
“I was truly excited to be somewhere I’m wanted, really happy to start a new chapter here,” Drummond said. “I’m just looking forward to being with the guys. I’m just looking forward to playing in a Cleveland Cavalier jersey. Everything happens for a reason. I look at it as a bright note for me, for my family to start somewhere new and be with a great group of guys.”
Chapter Two will officially begin on Sunday night.
A source tells cleveland.com that Drummond will make his debut against the Los Angeles Clippers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Drummond flew into Cleveland on Friday afternoon, landing in a blizzard -- a “scary, rocky flight.” Shortly after, he met with head coach John Beilein, who was returning from a movie date with his wife Kathleen -- “1917, I highly recommend it, it’s not Saving Private Ryan, but it’s pretty darn close.”
Beilein and Drummond spoke for about 30 minutes, the two repeatedly shifting the conversation back to basketball. They talked about how Drummond could help, how much he loves Cleveland’s young core and the mutual excitement about this new opportunity. Then Drummond had dinner with new teammate Tristan Thompson, one of the first guys he Facetime’d with after the trade news sunk in.
One day later, he was on the practice floor.
“So excited about his energy that he’s going to bring to Cleveland and his desire to be here. Tremendous,” Beilein said. "First impression, very bright young man and understands the game. I think he brings a lot to us -- what he knows about the game as well. Really impressed with him so far. We are deeper right now. Look at our second squad right now with the defense they can play. Sometimes it’s one guy. Like adding a great cleanup hitter or a great leadoff hitter, there’s just one thing that changes the dynamic. We hope that’s what happens.”
Andre Drummond works with coaches following his first practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts
It was a light practice day at Cleveland Clinic Courts Saturday, but the Cavs did some live work. They went through actions on offense and defense, trying to get in as much as possible, hoping to get Drummond up to speed quickly ahead of his debut.
“He threw a couple of really nice passes and just his talk on the floor was really good,” Beilein said when asked what surprised him. “Saw him pulling Collin (Sexton) aside and saying, ‘Listen, I’m going to set this angle screen if I see a guy guarding you this way.’ That was really good. Think he brings more than just this great 6-10 NBA body. He brings a lot of intangibles is what I sense after just knowing him not even 24 hours. He solves a lot of problems for a lot of teams I think.”
Drummond stayed after, running through dummy sets with Sexton, Thompson, Larry Nance Jr., Dante Exum and assistant coaches Dan Geriot and J.J. Outlaw. Beilein was right there, watching and offering pointers. There was some high-low action with Nance. A few pick-and-roll sets with Sexton. Drummond’s first workout in his new digs finished alongside Nance, Thompson and Geriot -- at the usual big-man hoop, putting up shots from inside and outside the 3-point line.
Teammates have already embraced Drummond, invited him into the post-practice shooting competition. That includes team leader Thompson, who excitedly spoke about Drummond’s arrival despite that forcing him to the bench. Thompson isn’t sweating the small stuff. He’s going to keep grinding away, trying to help the transition any way possible, for as long as he’s here -- even that means just the final 30 games of 2019-20. Drummond has the same attitude.
“I’m not taking anybody’s job, I’m just here to play,” Drummond said. “I didn’t come here expecting anything. I’m just here to do my job, whatever they need me to do, I’ll get it done. Whether it’s being a starter or coming off the bench, whatever they need from me to help this team be successful, I’ll do it."
Cleveland Cavaliers centers Andre Drummond and Tristan Thompson share a laugh following practice.
This is all new for Drummond. His number -- he’s wearing No. 3 now because buddy Kevin Love has that familiar No. 0. Teammates. The system. Play calls. Language. Coaches. Everything.
About five minutes after the trade was finalized between the Cavs and Pistons on Thursday, Drummond got a call from Love -- the first person to reach out. They’ve had a relationship for years. Not only do they share an agent, but they’ve played against each other a bunch and spent time with USA Basketball. Both guys were mentioned in trade rumors leading up to Thursday, another commonality that they could bond over. But Love had no idea that playing alongside Drummond was ever a possibility, especially as all signs pointed to the Cavs “selling,” acquiring more draft capital for the future.
“To be here with him is great,” Drummond said of Love. “He’s a great shooter, great passer. I think I can help him a lot on both ends of the court to help lessen the load on him.”
Drummond also touched base with old teammate Reggie Jackson, his pick-and-roll partner who had been traded midway through the season before. Drummond talked to Blake Griffin as well. Both Jackson and Griffin shared advice with Drummond about how to get acclimated after a mid-season trade. Drummond wouldn’t disclose their message, saying it’s only for him to know.
When asked where he can have the greatest impact now that’s he in Cleveland, Drummond didn’t start with his rebounding -- despite leading the league in that category once again. He didn’t start with paint protection -- the area that a few coaches have excitedly pointed to since the acquisition. He didn’t start with initiating offense from the elbow or free-throw line -- something Beilein plans to explore over the last few months.
Drummond pointed to Cleveland’s youngsters.
“Definitely with the guards, the young guards, I’m definitely looking forward to working with them and shedding some insight both on offense and defense,” he said. “I think I can really help them out. As a back line of defense, definitely communication is going to be huge with them. I know they’re young and they’re still learning, but if I can help them get past that curve a little bit early, I think we’ll be very good.”
The Cavs are hoping the same. Sexton, Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr. were front of mind when making Thursday’s trade.
The Cavs have singled out Drummond’s pick-and-roll ability, screen assists (12th in the NBA) and great hands. They’ve expressed excitement over having his big, athletic body around him, allowing him to hold off defenders in the post or finish lobs on the offensive end while provided some resistance at the rim on defense, perhaps erasing some of the guards’ mistakes at the point of attack.
Drummond even asked the coaches for film on the youngsters so he could sit down Saturday, watch how they play and get a feel for how he can best support them, perhaps even fast-track their development.
Andre Drummond said all the right things Saturday about wanting to help his new team in any way the coaches desire.Mike Mulholland | MLive.com
Typically trades around this time of year are between contenders looking to boost their playoff chances and rebuilding teams selling off valuable pieces. Boston, Houston, Dallas and the Los Angeles Clippers were all linked to the league’s double-double leader. But it in a peculiar twist, Drummond was sent to the Eastern Conference’s worst -- a group that has lost 11 of its last 12, currently has six fewer wins than his old squad and was in need of a jolt.
“The record doesn’t faze me because I see a bright future here in Cleveland,” Drummond said. “The young guys here are really, really good. Just with the addition of myself and Kevin being healthy, we can do special things here.”
All it took to get him was a pair of measly expiring contracts -- Brandon Knight and John Henson -- and a future second-round pick, which will likely fall near the end of the 2023 draft. Essentially, the Pistons received a bunch of salary cap space for the two-time NBA All-Star. That’s what they wanted, believing financial flexibility was more important than committing to a center whose value continues to be disputed in this new pace-and-space, small-ball era.
“I feel there’s some centers now that are going to be hard to fit in the NBA game, and he’s not one of them, because he can pass, he finishes, he’s got a high IQ, and not everybody has to shoot it,” Beilein said. “If you look there’s some really great centers that don’t shoot 3s either that are key to their teams. So I think those things if he’s not a 3-point shooter, you can adjust and win with him.”
Drummond isn’t thinking about any of that. He’s not holding the trade against the Pistons. He isn’t thinking about what he’s going to do with his $28.7 million player option for the 2020-21 season -- even though he is likely to pick it up. He’s just trying to get acclimated to his new team, new life, new city. Heck, he hasn’t even unpacked his bag yet. But he’s got high hopes about this fresh start.
“Just play to the best of my ability, learn the system, find ways to help get our guards better, find ways to just help this team get out of this rut,” Drummond said. “Put us in a good situation to have a successful off-season and do something special next year.”
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