Pistons’ Andre Drummond on Trade Rumors: “I’m Not a Quitter”

Andre Drummond. Photo by Rob Latour/Variety/Shutterstock

Multiple reports suggested in the past few days that Detroit Pistons are exploring trade possibilities for their star big-man Andre Drummond. According to media outlets like ESPN and The Athletic, Pistons have been talking with Atlanta Hawks and other teams about the possibility of moving Drummond, who can become a free agent in the summer. However, it turns out that the player himself isn’t keen on a move.

Drummond recently said that there are no doubts he wants to stay in Detroit when asked by the media to address the trade rumors.

“I’m not a quitter, for one,” Drummond said after Pistons’ 111-104 win over the Golden State Warriors. “I was never brought up to be a quitter. If I start somewhere, I try to finish there, try to complete the mission, which is to win a championship here. It will never be me that wants to go anywhere … I love being here. I would love to play here the rest of my career.”

This is a bit different from Drummond’s comments in the past when he said that he is looking forward to free agency and would like to explore his options. Such statements and the 26-year-old’s unwillingness to openly commit to Pistons made the organization cautious about losing the player for nothing in the free agency. Drummond has a $28 million contract option on his deal for 2019/20, which he can reject and become an unrestricted free agent.

Pistons’ asking price for Andre Drummond is still unknown but the rumors are that the team is looking for picks, expiring contracts and maybe a quality rotational player. Despite possibly being in the final year of his deal, Drummond could still get a team to check all those boxes in a trade offer. He is currently averaging 17.6 points, 15.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.