INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Thursday’s deadline deal for Andre Drummond was a stunner.
Especially for Drummond.
“I thought it was a joke,” Drummond said following practice Saturday, his first with the Cavs, about his initial reaction to the deal.
“I thought it was a joke at first, but obviously when it all settled in, I’m truly excited to be somewhere where I am wanted.”
Head coach John Beilein met with Drummond Friday night shortly after the center arrived from Detroit.
“I was so excited about his energy that he was going to bring to Cleveland, his desire to be here,” Beilein said.
Drummond will replace Tristan Thompson as the starting center.
“I’m not taking anybody’s job,” Drummond said. “I’m just here to play. I didn’t come here expecting anything.
“Whatever they need from me to help this team be successful I’ll do it.”
Cleveland got the two-time All-Star for a steal by sending the expiring contracts of Brandon Knight, John Henson and a 2023 second round pick to Detroit.
Drummond leaves the 19-35 Pistons and joins the worst team in the eastern conference and the second-worst team in the NBA, the 13-39 Cavs.
“It doesn’t faze me because I see a bright future here in Cleveland,” Drummond said. “The young guys here are really, really good. With the addition of myself and having Kevin [Love] healthy, we can do special things here.”
The eight-year veteran is expected to make his Cavs debut Sunday evening against the Los Angeles Clippers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
“I don’t know what’s missing, I think this is a great addition,” Beilein said.
“He solves a lot of problems for a lot of teams, I think.”
Drummond is averaging a career-best 17.8 points while shooting 53% from the field, an NBA-leading 15.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, a career-high 2.0 steals and 1.7 blocks in a career-high 33.8 minutes per game. He also leads the NBA in offensive rebounds per game (4.6), defensive rebounds per game (11.2) and double-doubles (42) this season.
“I think I’m going to bring the toughness,” Drummond said. “I think I’ll be able to help in that aspect on both ends of the court.”