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Do Steve Nash’s comments prove Andre Drummond has a future with Nets?

By Jordanna Clark

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 17: Andre Drummond #4 of the Brooklyn Nets dunks the ball against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Barclays Center on February 17, 2022 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 17: Andre Drummond #4 of the Brooklyn Nets dunks the ball against the Washington Wizards during the first half at Barclays Center on February 17, 2022 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Hunger/Getty Images) /
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As part of the James Harden-Ben Simmons trade, the Brooklyn Nets were gifted Andre Drummond. The six-foot-ten center is averaging 12.3 rebounds in the three games that he’s played in for Brooklyn.

Drummond’s started in all three games and his presence in the post has been a game-changer for the Nets. His role is expected to increase in the coming weeks as Brooklyn gears up for the playoffs.

However, his conditioning is of concern right now. In Philadelphia, he was the backup for MVP candidate Joel Embiid. In the 49 games that Drummond played in for the Sixers, he averaged 18.4 minutes. In Brooklyn, he’s played 24, 23, and 19 minutes.

Before the Nets took on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, Steve Nash addressed Brooklyn’s hopes for its newest center.

Does center Andre Drummond have a future with the Brooklyn Nets?

Drummond signed a one-year, $2.4 million contract with Philadelphia during the offseason and he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

The Nets currently have five centers on their roster – Drummond, LaMarcus Aldridge, Nic Claxton, Blake Griffin, and Day’Ron Sharpe. Since Drummond’s arrival, only Aldridge and Griffin have played consistent minutes. Claxton hasn’t played at all and Sharpe has played a total of three minutes.

After Brooklyn’s loss to Washington on Wednesday night in the second half of a back-to-back, Drummond was straightforward about how he’s felt while adjusting to the Nets’ system.

It seems like the All-Star break couldn’t have come at a better time for the 28-year-old.

In his first season in the league in 2012-13, he wasn’t a consistent starter. However, from 2013-14 through 2020-21, Drummond started in every game that he played in. He grew accustomed to a reduced role with the Sixers and is now back to being in the starting lineup.

Brooklyn sees a future with Drummond. Out of the team’s five centers, Sharpe is the only one whose contract goes beyond this year (he signed a four-year, $10.3 million deal).

We know that the Nets tried to trade Claxton ahead of the deadline and his lack of action since his hamstring injury proves that Brooklyn prefers Drummond over him.

Because of Nash’s comments and the increased workload that Drummond has already taken on in his first three games, Brooklyn will likely re-sign him in the offseason barring any sudden change.