The Cleveland Cavaliers and big man Andre Drummond were looking to seal a huge contract extension earlier this year.
However, it appears that the likelihood of both sides agreeing to an extension has been pulverized.
“At one point, there was mutual interest in an extension,” wrote Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “However, the sides have been far apart in those preliminary discussions, sources say. The Cavs recognize Drummond’s talent but they are also honest about his flaws, especially in this pace-and-space era, where bigs like him are easy to attain. They don’t want to commit to an unfriendly deal that could limit future moves, not after an eight-game sample size. Drummond, meanwhile, wants to be compensated for bypassing a chance at 2021 free agency, when many teams will have significant cap space. Given the differing, current monetary views, an extension seems unlikely.”
Drummond, 27, has a player option this offseason.
The center has already made it known that he plans to opt into the final of the year of his deal in order to play with the Cavs for the 2020-21 season.
The Cavs acquired the former All-Star from the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Brandon Knight, John Henson and 2023 second-round pick in February.
Although Drummond wasn’t able to show his full potential due to the novel coronavirus halting the season, he portrayed a meaningful sample size to Cavs fans.
The rebounding machine put up 17.5 points, 11.1 boards and 1.5 steals per contest with the Cavs this season. In addition, he got along with his new teammates and connected with the coaching staff.
