The Brooklyn Nets returned to action following a week-long break after recovering from a grueling first half schedule on Thursday night.
Fans hope the team took advantage of their time off, as the victory in a nationally-televised matchup against the Boston Celtics is far from the end of the road.
…Though it was pretty sweet.
However, seeing as though the Nets have proven that they can flip a switch seemingly whenever they please in the regular season, we wouldn’t fault fans who want nothing more than to fast forward to the end of the month.
After all, the trade deadline will have concluded by then — not to mention that the buyout market will have all but dried up as well — and we’ll likely have a better idea of what Brooklyn’s final roster will look like heading into the stretch run.
With those dates fast approaching, it’s time to start pondering whether the Nets have what it takes to outbid the Lakers for in-demand center Andre Drummond, who has garnered interest from several teams over the last several weeks.
https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/1369407407894433797
Do the Nets have what it takes to acquire Andre Drummond?
Drummond hasn’t played for the better part of a month now as the Cavaliers look to find a trade partner for him. However, when you consider that contending teams could just wait for him to be bought out and sign him at a discount, there’s no guarantee a deal comes to fruition.
That could obviously change if a team is desperate enough to give up assets to acquire him, but the Nets are really the only squad that falls under that category and they don’t have the requisite resources to make a deal happen after the James Harden blockbuster.
With that in mind (and for the sake of argument), let’s assume that Drummond ultimately agrees to a buyout with Cleveland and his choices are between the Nets and Lakers. Essentially, this boils down to whether the two-time All-Star would prefer to play alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis in Los Angeles or with the likes of Kevin Durant, Harden and Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn.
Objectively speaking, he couldn’t go wrong with either team as both are the consensus favorites to win this year’s championship. However, the Lakers might just be able to offer him a more featured role than the Nets, as the Marc Gasol experiment has been an unmitigated disaster.
If Andre Drummond becomes a free agent through a buyout, the Nets and Lakers are the favorites to sign him, per @KevinOConnorNBA pic.twitter.com/OZfmwE7725
— Top Ball Coverage (@TopBallCoverage) March 8, 2021
In Brooklyn, Drummond would be competing with three superstars for touches on offense, as well as DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin and Nicolas Claxton for minutes at center. The Lakers, on the other hand, are so desperate for help at the five that they just signed G League standout Damian Jones to a second 10-day contract.
Taking that into account, Drummond could probably sign with LA and walk right into a starting role as one of their most important players while Davis works his way back from injury.
Aside from the chance to compete for a title, all the Nets really have to offer Drummond is to be their defensive stopper should they face off against Joel Embiid and the 76ers in the playoffs.
For somebody who isn’t renowned for his prowess on that end of the floor, we can’t help but feel like the Lakers would have the edge if it came down to a buyout bidding war...unless, of course, Durant’s recruiting talent is as unrivaled as it seems.
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