NBA Veteran Center Andre Drummond Signing with Los Angeles Lakers

Introduction

On Saturday, March 27th, 2021 the veteran two-time NBA All-Star center, Andre Drummond, has announced that he is intending on signing with the Los Angeles Lakers following him clearing waivers. Drummond is set to clear waivers at approximately 5 p. m. ET on Sunday, March 28th, 2021. The Lakers’ front office as well as some of their star players have been trying hard to persuade Andre to join their team, and that they can provide Drummond with a great chance to win an NBA championship with the Lakers this year. This opportunity sold Andre on coming to Los Angeles to play basketball for the Lakers.

This is an extremely solid and important signing for the LA Lakers that have been experiencing very inconsistent play from their current centers such as Marc Gasol as well as Montrezl Harrell over the course of the current 2020-2021 season of the National Basketball Association. Drummond should make a strong and immediate impact on the defending NBA champion, the Lakers. Andre is a beast on both the offensive and defensive sides of the glass as he is a rebounding machine. He also plays outstanding defense down low in the paint helping his team limit easy buckets.

Other Interest in Signing Drummond

There were several other franchises in the National Basketball Association that were reportedly highly interested in acquiring Drummond after his contract buyout with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Those teams that were looking to sign Andre included the Los Angeles Clippers, the New York Knicks, the Boston Celtics, the Charlotte Hornets, and other NBA organizations as well. Drummond believes that he has the best chance to win an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, and that ultimately led him to decide to ink a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers for the remainder of the 2020-2021 NBA season.

Drummond’s NBA Statistics

Over the course of the 2020-2021 NBA season while playing in 25 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers the 27-year-old center Drummond has averaged 17.5 points per game, 13.5 rebounds per game, 2.6 assists per game, 1.2 blocks per game, and 1.6 steals per game. Andre has not played in an NBA game since February 12th, 2021 following the Cleveland Cavs trading to acquire Jarrett Allen, who is a younger center. Drummond’s playing time was reduced which caused him to leave the active roster until he was traded or his contract was bought out to enable him to move on from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Over the course of his career playing in the National Basketball Association Andre has averaged 14.6 points per game, 13.8 rebounds per game, 1.3 assists per game, 1.5 blocks per game, and 1.4 steals per game. Hopefully he is better utilized by the Los Angeles Lakers than he was during his time in Cleveland playing for the Cavs.

Lakers’ Current Injuries

Two of the Los Angeles Lakers biggest superstar players are currently injured and unable to play in NBA games at the moment. The Los Angeles Lakers power forward/center Anthony Davis remains sidelined with a calf injury, and there is not a timeline for his return to the Lakers line-up as of now. The Los Angeles Lakers legendary shooting forward, LeBron James, is also missing games due to a high ankle sprain, that he suffered on March 20th, 2021 in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks. James has a projected timetable of four to six weeks for his return to game action for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Drummond’s Career Achievements, Honors, and Awards

• 2 Time NBA All-Star (2016, 2018)
• All-NBA Third Team (2016)
• 4 Time NBA Rebounding Leader (2016, 2018, 2019, 2020)
• NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2013)
• Big East All-Freshman Team (2012)

Odds to Win the 2020-2021 NBA Championship

According to Intertops sportsbook these are the odds as of Sunday, March 28th, 2021 to win the 2020-2021 NBA championship outright. The Brooklyn Nets have now taken over from the Los Angeles Lakers as the NBA team with the highest odds of winning the 2020-2021 NBA championship.

Sources:

“Andre Drummond plans to sign with Los Angeles Lakers, agent says”, Adrian Wojnarowski, espn.com, March 28, 2021.

“Andre Drummond”, basketball-reference.com, March 28, 2021.

“United States, NBA Futures-NBA 2020/21 Championship: To Win Outright”, intertops.eu, March 28, 2021.