The Charlotte Hornets have lacked a dominant player in the frontcourt since trading Dwight Howard; should Andre Drummond be targeted in the offseason?
The Charlotte Hornets throughout this season have lacked a consistent and dominant player in the paint. The center position is one where the Hornets could look to find some help at in the offseason.
I propose that the Hornets try to work out a deal in the offseason for Andre Drummond. This potential trade was explored before the trade deadline this season, but the Hornets could not get a deal together.
Early reports indicated that the Detroit Pistons were interested in Nicolas Batum and potentially Malik Monk. This trade would have worked for both teams, and Charlotte would have been able to dump Batum’s contract.
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Drummond is a former UCONN Husky, and we all know that he would bring some fire to this team with Kemba Walker and Jeremy Lamb if both players are re-signed. Drummond is a double-double machine, who has averaged 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds per game this season.
Charlotte has not been known for their presence on the glass this season, as they are currently ranked 23rd in the NBA for rebounds per game. This is a dramatic drop for the Hornets because they had finished last season as 3rd in the NBA in this category.
The Hornets were able to achieve these rebound numbers because of Dwight Howard’s presence in the paint last season. Since his departure, the Hornets have not received the same amount of production from their current starter, Cody Zeller.
Salary wise, Drummond would be in Charlotte for the next two seasons, and he would average a salary of $25,434,263 per season. The average salary is very similar to Batum’s and would give Charlotte the chance to have a dominant center until the 2020-21 season.
If the Hornets were to trade for Drummond, they could begin to find trade options for Bismack Biyombo, who is averaging a salary of $17,000,000 per season. I personally feel that Charlotte would still be able to sign Walker if these two things happen.
A trade of this magnitude would motivate Walker to stay in Charlotte because he would have another player to help him carry the load. Drummond is the kind of player who would work well in the pick and roll game with Walker.
If Charlotte somehow makes this trade, they will have a player who can help them improve their team in many statistical categories. It will be interesting to see if they even actually visit this previous trade idea.