Subscribe
Follow Us
The New York Knicks have inquired into Detroit Pistons All-Star center Andre Drummond's availability, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
"One team, I'm told, that has made an inquiry (on Andre Drummond) are the Knicks."
NBA Insider @ShamsCharania shares an update on the Pistons center. pic.twitter.com/xH3XB6VHtN
— Stadium (@Stadium) January 10, 2020
Drummond, 26, is one of the league's best rebounders and a two-time All-Star. His status for the Pistons has been called into question due to the rumored direction Detroit is headed in. The Pistons will likely head to a total tear down and rebuild. For example, another All-Star big man in Blake Griffin, is now sidelined after undergoing season-ending knee surgery.
The Knicks are supposedly another team in rebuild mode. Although the team's front office spent the past offseason signing veteran free agents on short-term deals as a means to keep flexibility up in case a deal comes along after striking out on the big-name targets during the summer. New York has a bevy of first-round picks, too. All of their own plus two first-rounders via the Dallas Mavericks from the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
Charania, however, reports that the Knicks are in “no rush” to rid themselves of their future first-round picks. He also added that there was no “traction” to the trade talks between Detroit and New York. Due to the latter's unwillingness to move picks (and the Pistons are not interested in taking on salary and long-term contracts, although that second point may not be useful here since the Knicks do not have many “long-term” deals on their books, depending on the definition).
This could be the first step in the Pistons gauging the trade market and approximate valuation of their longtime starting center Drummond. Drummond initially entered the league in 2012 as the ninth overall pick in the draft for Detroit. Drummond is currently averaging 17.8 points and a league-leading 16.2 rebounds a game.
