Andre Drummond has signed with the Los Angeles Lakers after securing a buyout from the Cleveland Cavaliers and clearing waivers, the Lakers announced on Sunday. The two-time All-Star center has not played since Feb. 12, when the Cavaliers, fresh off acquiring Jarrett Allen to be their center of the future, benched him in an effort to preserve his trade value. His $28.7 million salary prevented Cleveland from finding a trade partner, though, which led to the buyout.
“Andre Drummond gives us powerful, anchor-point skills on both ends of the court,” Lakers vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka said. “We feel extremely fortunate to add a player of his caliber and magnitude to our core group at this stage of our journey to defend the NBA title.”
This doesn’t come as a surprise as the Lakers have been linked to the big man for some time now after Cleveland decided to shut him down until they either traded him or bought him out of his contract. Several of the Lakers players have been trying to recruit Drummond to sign with Los Angeles, selling him on playing for a defending championship team that is capable of getting there again this season.
Drummond is averaging 17.5 points and 13.5 rebounds this season, which are both near career highs. He hasn’t played since Feb. 12, so his conditioning may not be where it needs to be for any team that signs him right now, but it’s obvious he can still make an impact on both ends of the floor.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
