Despite the occasional — and baffling — hiccups, the Philadelphia 76ers have been playing a much better brand of basketball as of late. Having said that, the coaching staff had also made some quirky choices recently, and atop the list is their decision to give Adem Bona more exposure than veteran big man Andre Drummond.
Drummond has not been benched entirely, but his place in the pecking order has been pushed down the drain. As such, the 76ers might have actually inadvertently created a rather plausible trade scenario involving the former All-Star, who is now in position to garner a lot of interest from teams before the trade deadline.
Of course, the 76ers do not have to trade Drummond. After all, the veteran has had a resurgent individual campaign, playing well for the most part after a grim season in 2024-25 due to injuries and general lackadaisical play on both ends. This season, he has turned into one of the team’s resident handymen, arming Nick Nurse with a steady option to man the center position in spurts.
Andre Drummond could end up being a useful trade asset for the 76ers
Now, there is still a world out there where it is Drummond who soaks up the actual minutes in more meaningful games, but the 76ers definitely seem headed to putting a higher premium on developing Bona as quick as possible for the long-term, which is completely justifiable. But if they indeed double down on that front, then dealing the veteran for the right price should be in the picture.
As everyone knows, with the center position peaking in the league once again, playoffs teams badly need more depth therein. While it would be counterintuitive for the 76ers to ship Drummond away, they do have a stronger cushion now at the position, not to mention that they can always go ahead and snag another depth piece to fill his void if he gets dealt.
Those squads in the postseason loop will probably be enthused about the prospect of adding Drummond, although he is far from a gimmie. Fortunately for the 76ers, despite him being in an expiring contract, he has played well enough to warrant a second-round pick or two in return for his services.
Of course, this is all conjectural. Still, it is worth noting that the 76ers do have a functional trade asset in Andre Drummond, who suddenly factors into their plans both on and off the court.