Washington Wizards should steer clear of the Andre Drummond sweepstakes

Despite his stature among the league’s top big men, the Washington Wizards should refute any potential deal for Detroit’s Andre Drummond.

There’s no doubt the Washington Wizards will be anxious to form a ‘Big Three’ once John Wall is back and healthy next to Bradley Beal in the backcourt. But as far as potential trade prospects, big man Andre Drummond should be at the bottom of their list.

Now in his eighth year in the NBA, the face of the Detroit Pistons franchise has proved to be one of the more durable players in the league. Since 2013-2014, he has never missed more than four games in a season.

While that durability would be welcome among a Wizards roster that has missed more games than it’s played this season, trading for Drummond would make little sense.

Let’s look at the Pistons’ walking double-double, why he’s on the outs, and why Washington would be wise to steer clear.

A Franchise in Free Fall

Detroit has been the epicenter of mediocrity when it comes to basketball for years now, having failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs at any point over the last decade.

And now, in light of Blake Griffin’s likely season-ending knee surgery, they’re ready to call it quits on their current core. It is rumored that almost every player on the Pistons’ roster can be had before the February 7th trade deadline, aside from 2019 first-round pick Sekou Doumboaya.

Drummond, approaching a $28.7 million player option for the 2020-2021 season, is expected to leave Detroit in hopes of landing a bigger deal in free agency.

With that, he’s the first and biggest name featured in the Pistons’ firesale, as they continue to fall down the Eastern Conference totem pole at 14-27. Detroit is 3-7 in their last ten games. In their Monday night loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, Drummond played just 22 minutes; his second-shortest run this season.

The flares have been shot, the signal is lit, and the door is unlocked. The Pistons are open for business! First come, first served! Especially regarding Drummond. But for the Washington Wizards, making a deal for the big man makes little to no sense.

Center of Their Own

One of the larger arguments against Washington trading for Drummond is their own big man, Thomas Bryant, who was signed to a three-year deal this summer for just $25-milion.

Bryant’s price tag is not a proper reflection of how talented he is, but more so a sign of how eager he was to stay in Washington, and how quickly the Wizards worked to keep him here. Bryant is just 22 years old and really came into his own last season after being picked up by the Wizards off waivers.

This season, he’s missed some games with injury but is still posting career numbers over his 19 appearances for Washington. This season he is averaging 13.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.

Bryant is one of the more promising young centers in that he is very capable of spacing the floor out to the three-point line. He’s been in a bit of a down year this season, shooting just 29 percent from behind-the-arc; but showed promise last season when he shot 33 percent from behind the arc.

Bryant is one of just six centers (25 years or younger) to knock down three or more shots from deep in a game this season, per Basketball-Reference.

Sacrificing that kind of talent, at his current trajectory, and on his price tag of just $8 million per year would be a tough sell to the front office and fans.

Free Agency Aspirations

The largest argument for the Wizards ignoring any temptation to acquire Drummond is simply because they could always sign him in the offseason.

For contending teams, it often does make sense to go all-in on pending free agents because it’s a dual-purpose move. By acquiring them early, teams potentially grab another star player for their core and enhance their chances of winning it all in the same season. Plus, it gives them a few extra months to win over their pending free agent.

But for the 14-26 Wizards, who’ve already said they’re in no rush to bring back Wall, giving up assets for Drummond this season would be outright foolishness.

Washington is five and a half games back of the East’s eighth seed, but they wouldn’t be favored against any of the conference’s top teams in a playoff series.

This season should remain devoted to what it’s produced already: young player development and few wins with hopes of earning a top spot in next year’s draft.