Andre Drummond is exercising his player option to stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2020-21 NBA season, something that can be viewed as a good thing. In return, it comes as no surprise that the 6-foot-10 center would expect to be rewarded for the move, a contract-extension for preferring to play on with the club.
Under normal circumstances, that would be not a problem. But there are several factors in play. One is the COVID-19 situation which means clubs are unlikely to offer a lucrative deal this summer as they deal with the financial crunch. The other is that Drummond has barely shown his true worth, playing only eight games with the Cavs. Ironically, that was also caused by the coronavirus when the season came to a halt back in March.
In eight games, Drummond put up good numbers. He averaged 17.5 points, 11.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 blocks in those eight games. These were impressive but there are questions on how he can consistently put this up. Hence, a long-term contract extension will have to wait with the Cavaliers preferring to see him play more games before making the right assessment, Cleveland.com reported.
Cavs and Andre Drummond all of sudden far apart on contract extension: https://t.co/aofNtqArBW — Cavaliers Nation (@WeAreCavsNation) October 19, 2020
Aside from consistently producing the numbers, there are other factors in play. That includes how Drummond will respond to J.B. Bickerstaff and how he can blend in with resident stars like Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Collin Sexton and Darius Garland.
Since the entry of Bickerstaff, the Cavs have gotten a new shot in the arm. The players now have a direction and there is reason to believe that Cleveland will be a team to watch. Drummond is part of those plans for as long as he aligns with the Cavs’ vision.
Though he played only a meager number of games, Drummond seemed to look fine. But a better picture could happen when the 2020-21 seasons starts. It could very well determine if the Cavs will hand him a contract extension or not.
Even on that expectation, there are a lot of things to consider. One is on whether Drummond would be willing to wait for Cavs management to hand him a contract extension. If he gets impatient, there is a chance that the two-time All-Star would opt to sign with another club. For the Cavs, that could lead to him getting traded at some point.
For now all this should be taken lightly. Drummond could opt to wait although there is a chance that he could get a bigger deal next offseason from another team. The Cavs need to assess him fast or end up losing one part of their vaunted frontline.
