If there is one major complaint about the Pistons, it has to be Andre Drummond's contract.
Drummond is signed through 2020-21 with a cap hit of $27 million next season, then $28.5 million the season after that. His production doesn't warrant this kind of money.
Of course, Drummond has the full support of Pistons owner Tom Gores, who has every intention of keeping the 25-year-old center in Detroit. In fact, Gores killed two trades involving Drummond during the tenure of former head coach and president Stan Van Gundy, according to the Sporting News:
"Gores has been Drummond's biggest supporter and continues to regard the two-time All-Star center as a personal favorite. When Stan Van Gundy was in power as team president, twice he found a trading partner for Drummond and was set to send him out of town, only to have Gores kill the deals, said someone familiar with both deals. According to league sources, the Pistons haven't shopped or taken calls on Drummond."
In a visit to Detroit last week, Gores made it clear he still views Drummond as part of the the Pistons' future -- a building block alongside Blake Griffin.
"They're our core, for sure," he said.
Asked specifically if Drummond is a player he would not consider trading, Gores said, "Andre should be on the All-Star team. He has double-doubles, the whole thing."
In his seventh career season, Drummond is averaging a career-high 16.8 ponts and a league-leading 14.8 rebounds -- the third time in the last four year he's paced the NBA in boards.
But it's pretty clear that he and Griffin aren't a viable duo to build around. The Pistons are a mediocre team in a less-than-mediocre Eastern Conference.
With the trade deadline looming on Thursday, it's likely Detroit makes a move or two in the next couple days. Gores said last week he has a "buyer's mentality" with the team fighting for the last playoff spot in the East, but noted he's "open to anything."
Whichever direction the Pistons choose -- buy or sell -- expect Drummond to be here when the deadline passes.
