Mavericks linked to move for former All-NBA center
May 24, 2022; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban walks on the court before game four of the 2022 Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
The Dallas Mavericks might just be bringing in the chairman of the boards this offseason.
Veteran NBA writer Marc Stein reported on Substack this week that rival teams expect the Mavericks to sign veteran big man Andre Drummond in free agency. That is assuming that Drummond declines his $3.4 million player option for next season with the Chicago Bulls.
Drummond, a two-time All-Star and former All-NBA selection who is still only 29 years old, has been relegated to the bench for these last couple of seasons. The Bulls also recently made a move that will ensure Drummond remains in a reserve role if he returns to Chicago.
While Drummond might indeed be better off as a full-time bench big these days, he is still a nightly double-double threat when given the minutes (with 16.9 points and a mammoth 18.8 rebounds per 36 minutes last year). A top-efficiency scorer in the paint who is a human vaccum on the glass and can also run certain offensive sets out of the post, Drummond has plenty of value, even in Year 12 of his NBA career.
Dallas, meanwhile, needs somebody down low who can play with force. Christian Wood is a free agent (and wasn’t really the answer for them last season) while Dwight Powell (a lanky 6-foot-10) and the newly-acquired Richaun Holmes (6-foot-9) lack the intimidation factor. Drummond, on top of his other skills, could be a new alley-oop toy for Luka Doncic and (if he re-signs with Dallas) Kyrie Irving. Mavs fans might even get to see something new in Drummond’s game.
