Name: How Andre Drummond controls Cleveland Cavaliers’ offseason
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How Andre Drummond controls Cleveland Cavaliers’ offseason

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NEW!CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Brock Aller, the Cleveland Cavaliers senior director of basketball operations who has interviewed with the New York Knicks and is weighing an offer to join their front office, is preparing for anything.Aller, like so many other executives, had been anticipating a league-wide salary-cap drop for the 2020-21 season because of Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s tweet about China, which impacted the relationship between that country and the NBA and cost the league some revenue. Now teams are expecting the projected cap number to decrease even more as a result of the coronavirus pandemic that halted the NBA on March 11.The Cavs have separate plans in place, different spreadsheets ready to be updated regardless of what happens.One thing is certain: Andre Drummond controls their offseason.General manager Koby Altman and his staff knew this when they traded for Drummond on Feb. 6, sending the expiring contracts of Brandon Knight and John Henson along with a future second-round pick to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for the two-time All-Star center who has a hefty player option attached to his contract. The Cavs still made the deal.According to sources, the Cavs weren’t given any assurances about Drummond’s future beforehand. Drummond has stayed silent on the impending decision, wanting to get through the season before thinking about the next step. But his player option, worth $28.7 million, has a direct impact on what the Cavs can -- and can’t do -- with their roster this summer.If Drummond opts inAccording to multiple sources, Drummond picking up his option remains most likely. It’s also most logical. Just look at what the Pistons received at the deadline. It was a salary dump, Detroit wanting to clean up the books and avoid paying him north of $28 million for 20-21. That’s a perfect portrait of his declining value. In this pace-and-space era, with shooting and perimeter skill so vital, some centers are still worth that bulky price tag. Drummond isn’t one of them.Very few teams have cap space. Estimates continue to drop even more. Many teams don’t wanting to offer long-term deals in hopes of keeping salary available for the 2021 summer of Giannis Antetokounmpo. So, this isn’t a good time to be a free agent. Drummond and agent Jeff Schwartz have surely played out all the scenarios and recognize there’s no team lining up to offer $28 million on the open market. Not this summer. Maybe never again. Drummond’s only chance of making that kind of money: opting in.Plus, looking ahead to 2021, only one team will land Antetokounmpo. The contenders that miss out will need to spend elsewhere. That’s where Drummond and others can capitalize.The Cavs are fully prepared for the opt-in scenario, which would swallow up their cap space and limit other free agency activity. In their mind, there was no better player to spend on than Drummond, who aligns with their vision and gives the Cavs a rim protector on defense and lob threat/roller on offense while helping their young players continue to grow by making the team more competitive.Sure, the Cavs could still try to re-sign Tristan Thompson. They are allowed to go over the cap to do it because they have his Bird rights. They would also have the mid-level exception -- worth about $8-9 million annually, depending on the new salary projections. That money could help lure a mid-tier free agent who strengthens a weak point on the roster. But that will be a competitive market, and that money probably won’t get players like Joe Harris, Danilo Gallinari, Marcus Morris Sr. or Evan Fournier (if he opts out), among others.If Drummond picks up his option, don’t even bother assembling those free agency wish lists.One more thing to ponder: Drummond opting in and the Cavs either trying to sign him to an extension beyond this season or flipping him in a trade.If Drummond opts outThe possibility of this declines every day. If Drummond opts out, the Cavs will have somewhere between $20-40 million available to spend -- depending on cap holds, where their draft picks fall and a variety of other factors. The starting number might actually be a touch lower when the new projections are unveiled. But it’s one of the weakest free agent classes in recent memory, so there’s no benefit. That’s part of the reason they were always fine pre-spending on Drummond.In this scenario, the Cavs could be competitive in the restricted free agent market -- even though that well dried up when Buddy Hield, Domantas Sabonis, Jaylen Brown, Dillon Brooks and others signed extensions. Sources say the Pelicans are prepared to match any offer for Brandon Ingram. The Sacramento Kings made a maneuver at the trade deadline in hopes of keeping Bogdan Bogdanovic. Would the Minnesota Timberwolves really let Malik Beasley go after acquiring him at the deadline? Dario Saric would only make the frontcourt more crowded. So, who becomes the target?Even the unrestricted options aren’t all that appealing. Maybe DeMar DeRozan if he opts out? Despite his many accomplishments, DeRozan is a volume scorer with a shoot-first mentality -- an odd fit on a team that needs 3-point shooting, defense and passing. Would Tim Hardaway Jr. be worth a big contract away from Luka Doncic? Tough to see Gordon Hayward, plagued by injuries lately, opting out of $34.1 million.That would all create an interesting situation: The Cavs with plenty of money and no one to spend it on. Of course, there’s other ways to use space. Taking bad salary in exchange for future draft picks is one path.In this opt-out scenario, center would go from a position of strength and depth to a pressing need, increasing the possibility of Thompson’s return if he doesn’t get what he’s looking for as an unrestricted free agent.All plans are on hold until the NBA figures out what to do when it comes to COVID-19. When business resumes, the Cavs will have plenty of decisions to make. The biggest one is out of their control. Buy Cavs gear: , , , More Cavaliers coverageNote to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

NEW!CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Brock Aller, the Cleveland Cavaliers senior director of basketball operations who has interviewed with the New York Knicks and is weighing an offer to join their front office, is preparing for anything.Aller, like so many other executives, had been anticipating a league-wide salary-cap drop for the 2020-21 season because of Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s tweet about China, which impacted the relationship between that country and the NBA and cost the league some revenue. Now teams are expecting the projected cap number to decrease even more as a result...

How Andre Drummond controls Cleveland Cavaliers’ offseason

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