‘Cornerstone’ Drummond, Pistons close in on $130M deal
Orlando, Fla. — Entering NBA free agency, the Pistons had only a couple of items on their shopping list when the negotiating period began just after midnight on Friday morning.
By lunchtime, they had checked off two of the biggest priorities for their offseason.
The biggest was reaching an agreement with All-Star center Andre Drummond on a five-year maximum deal worth about $130 million, according to a report by ESPN’s Marc Stein, citing league sources.
Teams are not allowed to comment on free-agent agreements during the moratorium period that began Friday but deals can be signed Thursday. Stein reported that Drummond has a player option on the fifth year of the agreement, so he could opt out to pursue free agency.
The Pistons also filled a spot on the bench, agreeing to terms on a three-year contract with Ish Smith to be the backup point guard, reportedly for $18 million.
That leaves the Pistons with about $15 million of space in the salary cap, which is expected to be around $94 million.
The Drummond deal is a key component in keeping the Pistons’ young core together. Among their starting group, Drummond, point guard Reggie Jackson and wings Tobias Harris and Marcus Morris all are under 27 years old and under contract at least through 2019.
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Drummond, 22, still is approaching the prime of his career, as last season he was named third-team All-NBA and earned his first All-Star selection, posting 16.2 points and a league-best 14.8 rebounds.
He was the Pistons’ first-round draft pick (ninth overall) in 2012 after just one season at Connecticut and has developed each of his four seasons in the league. He has famously struggled at the free-throw line, converting just 36 percent last season and 38 percent in his career. In several games, coach Stan Van Gundy had to bench Drummond before teams could intentionally foul him.
But the rest of Drummond’s game blossomed, as he developed a consistent hook shot with either hand and was dominant around the offensive and defensive boards. He also has proven durable, missing just two of 246 games over the last three seasons.
“I’m happy for Dre; he deserves every dime he has,” Pistons forward Marcus Morris said Friday. “He’s a cornerstone of the Pistons and we’re just building around him. It’s a great move and I’m happy we got it done.”
With his banner season, Drummond helped the Pistons make the playoffs last season for the first time in seven years but the Pistons were swept out of the postseason by the eventual-champion Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round.
Drummond was eligible for a max contract after his four-year rookie contract expired. Last summer, he decided against pursuing a contract extension, a decision that gave the Pistons an additional $13 million in cap space.
Now it’s Drummond’s turn to reap the benefits.