Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond ripped on Twitter a fan who asked the team to trade him, Stanley Johnson and Reggie Jackson to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving. The fan named Ruben Rodriguez tweeted “DetroitPistons trade Reggie_Jackson, iAmSJ and AndreDrummond for Kyrie now!”
@DetroitPistons trade @Reggie_Jackson ,@iAmSJ and @AndreDrummond for Kyrie now!
— Ruben Rodriguez (@ruben_vincent) July 22, 2017
Drummond took exception to Rodriguez’s tweet, responding “and this is why you are typing from a cellphone and not a general manager.” Johnson also responded, saying “not happening”.
Using ESPN’s trade machine, the swap involving Drummond, Jackson and Johnson will be a big failure as the three have a combined salary of $42.8 million while Irving is expected to earn almost $19 million next season. Irving recently demanded a trade from the Cavaliers, saying he wanted to become the center of a team’s offense, away from the shadows of LeBron James, who was apparently stunned and blindsided by his teammate’s move.
Jackson, Drummond on the trading block
Recently, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders reported that the Pistons and the New Orleans Pelicans are working on a trade involving Jackson. The two teams are working on a deal that will send Jackson to the Pelicans for E’Twaun Moore and big man Alexis Ajinca.
The Pistons will have additional cap space if Jackson, together with his remaining three-year, $51-million deal, is traded to the Pelicans.
If healthy, the 27-year-old Jackson is a valuable backcourt asset. Last season, he averaged 14.5 points, 5.2 assists, and 2.2 rebounds in 27.4 minutes per game. Knee injury limited him to just 52 games, his lowest since his rookie year with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Pelicans believe that Jackson can form a deadly backcourt combo with Jrue Holiday, who recently signed a five-year, $126 million contract.
Drummond had down season
The 6-foot-11 Drummond emerged as a threat in the shaded lane when he averaged a career-high 16.2 points and 14.8 boards two seasons ago. The Pistons then rewarded him with a five-year, $127 million contract to become the focal point of the Pistons’ offense.
However, his performance dipped last season, tallying just 13.6 points and 13.8 caroms in 81 games. Drummond also became a liability for the Pistons in crucial stretches of the game due to his free throw shooting, forcing them to gauge market interest for the center. Last season, he made just 137 of 355 free throw attempts for a 38.6 percent clip. In his career, Drummond sank 683 of 1,793 foul shots for a 38.1 percent clip.
