NBA rumors: Andre Drummond signals end of Mavs’ Deandre Ayton pursuit
According to Marc Stein, the Mavs and Andre Drummond will most likely reach agreement on a contract. That might mean the end of them chasing Deandre Ayton.
According to Marc Stein, the Mavs are expected to sign Andre Drummond once free agency begins. The Mavs already have a log jam at the center position with Richaun Holmes, JaVale McGree and Derrick Lively at the position. The team also tried trading for Deandre Ayton but the Suns rejected their deal.
Signing Drummond most likely signals that the team is no longer interested in trading for Ayton going forward. They seem to accept that the Suns asking price is way too high for them. Additionally, McGee has two more years on his deal so they will most likely have to find a team who is willing to take on his contract.
While his contract isn’t huge at all, McGee doesn’t have a good contract which will most likely force Dallas to sweeten any deal with one or two second-round picks to get the deal done. Drummond will not cost a lot due to the fact he has diminished in play for the last couple of years.
Why are the Mavs settling for Andre Drummond instead of chasing Deandre Ayton?
Due to the fact that a lot of other teams do not want the bad juju that comes with Kyrie Irving, it seems like the Mavs will be able to re-sign the All-Star in all likelihood. With that in mind, Dallas is trying to find a defensive center who can help the team out on that end. This is because Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are not good defensive players by any means and will need a big center to clean up their messes.
They hit the limit of what they could offer the Suns and had their best offer rebuffed. This is the backup plan for Dallas.
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