The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of eight teams whose offseason has officially begun, as they will not be among the 22 teams participating in the NBA’s restart in Orlando.
The biggest question facing the Cavs this summer is what happens with Andre Drummond, who they traded for at the deadline and has a lucrative player option worth $28.75 million. It was possible pre-hiatus to think Drummond’s best bet would be to hit the open market and seek a long-term deal as one of the few top-level free agents in this year’s class. The Cavs would’ve had a good chance of retaining him, but there would’ve been a few teams that might’ve sniffed around at a big time deal for the league’s rebounding king.
However, with uncertainty about what kind of hit the league will take financially and what the salary cap may look like next season, Drummond opting out of nearly $29 million for a deal that would likely pay him far less annually seemed highly unlikely. Drummond effectively confirmed that on the latest episode of STUpodity, telling ESPN’s Stugotz that it would “be hard” to pass up that money and that he will be in Cleveland next year.
“Yeah, it’s going to be hard to give up, so you can count on me being in Cleveland still,” Drummond said when pressed on whether he plans to exercise his option.
“I definitely will be in Cleveland.”
It’s not a major surprise, but it gives some confirmation to the Cavs months in advance of the deadline for Drummond to pick up his option. That will allow them to head into the offseason mainly focused on the draft and trying to add another piece to their growing young group, now anchored by a pair of frontcourt veterans.