Andre Drummond has been linked to the Atlanta Hawks for weeks. The Detroit Pistons center, who has a player option for next season, would have theoretically filled Atlanta’s hole at center and provided meaningful defense, rebounding and pick-and-roll finishing alongside Trae Young. Unfortunately, for the moment, it appears as if a trade isn’t coming as the Hawks are no longer engaged with the Pistons in talks for Drummond, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Such a deal would have been built around Damian Jones, the expiring contract of either Chandler Parsons or Allen Crabbe (who has since been dealt to Minnesota) and a first-round pick, Haynes reports. In addition to all of their own picks, Atlanta also owns lottery-protected future first-rounders from the Brooklyn Nets and Oklahoma City Thunder, so constructing a trade would have been doable on paper. The Hawks simply appear to have gone in a different direction.
That doesn’t necessarily rule out Drummond landing in Atlanta at some point in the future. The Hawks will have max cap space this offseason, when Drummond is expected to decline his player option and become a free agent. They could also pick up trade talks again at some point in the future. For now, though, Haynes is reporting that the Hawks are considering another center: Oklahoma City’s Steven Adams. The Thunder currently hold the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference playoff picture, but with an aging roster beyond young star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, they could look to move veterans in exchange for assets that better fit his timeline.
Detroit is still looking to trade Drummond, even if Atlanta is off of the table. The Pistons may only be four games out of the playoff picture at 15-27, but they are fading fast. They are 4-11 in their past 15 games, and given the injury issues Blake Griffin has endured, reinforcements appear unlikely to be coming. With that in mind, both Drummond and Derrick Rose appear available as the Pistons move toward a rebuild around emerging rookie Sekou Doumbouya (who scored a career-high 24 points on Wednesday) and breakout fourth-year shooter Luke Kennard (who is averaging 15.8 points per game on nearly 40 percent shooting from behind the arc).
The Hawks and Pistons appear to be natural trade partners. Atlanta is one of the few teams with the cap flexibility to pay Drummond for the long haul and the assets to acquire him in the moment. Talks may have slowed for the time being, but don’t be surprised if the two sides re-engage closer to the trade deadline.
