According to Substack’s Marc Stein, the Chicago Bulls may trade veteran big man Andre Drummond before the Feb. 9 trade deadline; could it make sense for the Boston Celtics to take on the former UConn standout, if so? Per Stein, we ought “not be surprised” if Big Penguin is on the move pre-deadline according to his sources, noting “Drummond has been allotted fewer than 15 minutes in each of Chicago’s past 12 games.”
The Bulls bug man’s post-oriented style of play has largely fallen by the wayside and his defense could leave much to be desired. But Drummond is a vet who makes few boneheaded mistakes and can eat regular-season minutes while being good enough to fill in for Boston’s starting bigs if one goes down for an extended period.
At 6-foot-10 and 280 lbs., he also adds a look to Boston’s frontcourt that is a bit stouter with a modicum of rim protection and the ability to hit near-basket jumpers on occasion.
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While he wouldn’t have the impact he once did as a former All-Star and All-NBA player, he is an affordable option able to be retained next season as he is on a 2-year, $6.6 million deal that has him earning $3.2 million this season.
That would let Boston trade for him by sending out a minimum-salaried player without incurring much more than they saved by moving on from Noah Vonleh in salary and taxes for a likely second-round pick.
The Celtics should be focused on bigs like Naz Reid who can space the floor and play down from the 5 on occasion if needed, but if such prospects prove too costly in terms of an ask, Drummond would be a solid consolation prize.
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