The Los Angeles Lakers may be doing the 2021 thing all over again.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports Tuesday that the Lakers have considered trading for veteran big man Andre Drummond of the Chicago Bulls before the deadline. McMenamin adds that the Lakers believe Drummond could potentially fit a specific need during a possible playoff matchup against the Denver Nuggets and their large front line.
Drummond, a two-time All-Star and four-time NBA rebounding leader, is on a very inexpensive $3.4 million expring contract. He already played for the Lakers during the 2020-21 campaign after joining them in March via the buyout market. But Drummond only lasted for a few months in L.A., leaving in free agency that summer to join the Philadelphia 76ers after the Lakers’ first-round playoff loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Still only 30 years old, Drummond has rebuilt his value some in Chicago, averaging 7.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in a steady nightly role off the bench. But he is still prone to bouts of poor defense and low-IQ play, which is part of why he fell out of favor with the Lakers in the first place.
Drummond once admitted that playing on the Lakers was especially tough. But with the .500 Lakers in need of more size beyond just Anthony Davis, they might end up giving the 6-foot-11 Drummond another spin.
