Philadelphia 76ers: The Brooklyn Nets want… Andre Drummond?
Negotiations are a funny thing.
Teams shoot for the moon, haggle on the margins, and, as Zach Lowe pointed out of ESPN’s NBA Today, angrily hang up the phone to drive home their point. When these sorts of negotiations go down behind closed doors, they can get downright contentious, but when the talks bleed onto social media either via a disgruntled party or as a bargaining tactic, the rumor mill can start to churn at a feverish clip.
With less than 24 hours before the 2022 NBA Trade deadline, things have firmly fallen into the latter camp.
So how, you may ask, does this affect the Philadelphia 76ers? Well, let’s just say there’s a new, surprise target the Brookly Nets want in a Ben Simmons–James Harden trade; a player who is very interesting indeed.
Does Brooklyn want a Philadelphia 76ers center?
The Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly been gauging the interest association-wide in Paul Reed for weeks now. The reigning G-League MVP, Reed is undeniably a fine basketball player, but for one reason or another, likely his status as a “tweener,” the pride of DuPaul University has failed to crack Doc Rivers’ rotation and is unlikely to at any point in the near future.
If the Brooklyn Nets wanted BBall Paul in such a trade, it would make sense. They like to switch on defense, Reed is of similar size to Kevin Durant, and he could bring much of what makes him a special player in Delaware over the Manhattan Overpass.
But that isn’t the frontcourt player the Nets reportedly have in mind.
No, according to Jason Dumas of Bleacher Report/KRON4 News, the Nets have centered in on Matisse Thybulle, Seth Curry, and Andre Drummond, as the pieces they’d like in a deal with the Sixers for Ben Simmons; a deal that would send James Harden and Patty Mills back to Philadelphia.
Now right from the jump, Brooklyn’s reported interest in Thybulle and Curry makes sense. While most have concluded that both wouldn’t need to be included in a deal to get it done, the Sixers can’t legally trade Simmons for Harden straight up without including a little over $2 million in additional cap filler, so a player like Thybulle, Curry, or Danny Green feels like a logical addition to the deal.
But Drummond? That feels like a weird addition… at least until you think about it.
Yes, Drummond’s star has cooled quite a bit from the mid-20102, when he was a regular All-Star and rebounding champion, but even now, in his most limited role since his rookie season, his Per 36 numbers aren’t too different than his prime (read more about that here). With only two legit centers on their roster in Nic Claxton and LaMarcus Aldridge, the Nets could actually use a player like Drummond, both in the regular season and especially if they take on a team like the Sixers in the playoffs.
If Drummond can help to swing a trade for Harden, then so be it.
Next. You don’t veto a James Harden trade over Seth Curry. dark
Andre Drummond has been a fun addition to the Philadelphia 76ers roster this season. He’s a prolific rebounder, a run playmaker, and willing to fight Bulls Twitter over an out-of-context highlight. But he isn’t a legitimate difference-maker and likely won’t be on the roster this time next year anyway, as some center-needy team will surely swoop in and sign him away on a long-term contract this summer. With players like Thad Young likely headed to the buyout market if he isn’t traded, losing “Big Penguin” for James Harden is collateral damage worth taking. If anything, it might free up some valuable minutes for Paul Reed… assuming he isn’t traded too.