Free agency is close to being unofficially over. Most teams are done making moves, and save for those whose informal handshake commitments with free agents have not yet been made official, suffice to say that a lot of rosters are very close to being finalized months before training camp opens.
The same is true for the Philadelphia 76ers, whose front office has admitted that barring anything out fo the ordinary, they should be done wheeling and dealing in the open market. The team basically only has the Quentin Grimes situation as their only unresolved front, and it is rather safe to say that they are no longer in play for any major trades moving forward.
Having said that, the 76ers will be well-served dangling away some of their players who have shown clear red flags so far. Case in point? Look no further than Andre Drummond, who had steeply declined last season and seems poised to lose his current role as the primary backup center to Joel Embiid.
The 76ers have been trying to trade him and his expiring contract, but they have had zero success so far. But thanks to some odd delay in a certain free agency transaction, the front office might able to sneak a last-minute trade involving the veteran big man.
The 76ers can trade Andre Drummond to the Warriors if Al Horford remains unsure
Al Horford has been the top target for the Warriors in free agency, and while it is believed that the former All-Star has already agreed to a handshake deal with Golden State, there has been no official action nor progress on that end yet.
That might be because Horford is also reportedly pondering retirement instead of heading out West. If so, the Warriors would be forced to seek an alternative, and the 76ers should immediately knock on their doors with Drummond as their calling card.
After surprisingly losing Kevon Looney in free agency, the Dubs need a prolific rebounder off the bench who can help mitigate their lack of size. Drummond, despite his decline as a finisher and rim deterrent, is still one of, if not the best pure rebounder in the NBA and would do wonders in Golden State as a low-usage board-crasher.
The 76ers will not be asking for much, if any, if that means parting with Drummond, whose shortcomings have become more pronounced next to Philly’s flawed cast of role players. In Golden State, his deficiencies on defense will be masked for the most part, and he will not be needing to make as many reads on offense.
Of course, this would entail Al Horford backing out of their rumored handshake deal, but given this inordinate delay, there is still a chance for the Philadelphia 76ers to swoop in and get to tick something off their checklist by trading Andre Drummond, who will be better off elsewhere.