Andre Drummond, Pistons Agree to New Contract: Details, Reaction

Following a strong regular season that produced an All-Star berth and All-NBA Third Team selection, Andre Drummond cashed in this offseason. The Detroit Pistons officially announced they have signed Drummond to a new deal on Friday. 

Marc Stein of ESPN first reported the deal on July 1.

According to Stein, a source said Drummond's deal is worth $127.2 million with a $28.8 million player option in the fifth year, along with an eight-percent trade kicker.

Drummond turned down an extension with the team last October—a decision made with salary-cap considerations in mind. By delaying a new deal, Drummond saved the Pistons almost $13 million in cap space heading into the summer, according to ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst.

After the Cleveland Cavaliers bounced Detroit out of the first round of the 2016 playoffs, Pistons owner Tom Gores was emphatic that he'd be willing to meet Drummond's inevitable asking price.

"No hesitation," Gores said about offering a market-value deal, per ESPN.com's Nick Friedell. "Come on, look at all the big guys in the league. Come on."

The Detroit Free Press' Drew Sharp questioned whether Drummond's poor free-throw shooting makes him somebody Detroit can build around:

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If Drummond simply made half of his free throws, teams wouldn't deliberately foul him. There would be no need for the faux outrage demanding the NBA outlaw the "Hack-A-Dre" strategy. That few trust Drummond can ever become even an average free-throw shooter must give the Pistons pause as they approach an important off-season.

If the Pistons deem Drummond an untradeable commodity this summer, they're crazy.

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Drummond's 35.5 percent clip from the charity stripe was by far the lowest in the league, with Los Angeles Clippers big man DeAndre Jordan the second worst at 43.0 percent. The 22-year-old was even worse in the postseason, making only 11 of his 34 free-throw attempts.

The problem clearly impacted head coach Stan Van Gundy's in-game strategy, as it forced him to keep Drummond off the court late in games for fear the opposing team would send him to the foul line at every opportunity.

Van Gundy sounded exasperated when discussing the topic during the 2016 playoffs, via Hayden Grove of the Associated Press:

"Everybody is going to try to find different ways to win a game, and that happens to be one of them," said Drummond in January about the persistent fouling against him, per the Detroit Free Press' Vince Ellis. "For me, that means I got to step up to the line and shoot."

Free-throw shooting isn't the only issue holding Drummond back as a player.

His shooting range hasn't expanded much further than directly under the basket. He attempted the third-most field goals (9.1 FGA/G) inside five feet last season. Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James was second, and Sacramento Kings big man DeMarcus Cousins was first. LeBron is one of the best players on the planet, while Cousins also attempted five shots a game between 15 and 24 feet—compared to zero for Drummond:

Distance	FGM	FGA	% of FGA	FG%
Less than 5 ft.	425	737	69.5	57.7
5-9 ft.	114	269	25.4	42.4
10-14 ft.	10	43	4.1	23.3
15-plus ft.	3	11	1.0	27.3

Drummond's shooting percentage from less than five feet (57.7) also ranks only 17th among the 25 players who attempted at least six shots a game from that distance.

Nobody is expecting the 2016 All-Star to become a three-point threat, nor should he stop looking for easy shots inside. But until Drummond adds a mid-range jumper to his arsenal or becomes a better free-throw shooter, he's not maximizing his offensive potential.

He also isn't an elite-level rim protector, which helped elevate Dwight Howard during his time with Van Gundy on the Orlando Magic. According to Nylon Calculus, Drummond allowed shooters to make 52.4 percent of their baskets at the rim, and he saved minus-0.10 points inside per 36 minutes.

Despite those issues, re-signing Drummond was the easy choice for the Pistons. For one, talented 7-footers aren't easy to find. If Detroit let him go, finding a replacement wouldn't be a straightforward process.

In addition, Drummond remains young, even having played four years in the league. He'll be entering his age-23 season in 2016-17 and hasn't reached his prime as a player.

Drummond and point guard Reggie Jackson have built a strong rapport over the last year-and-a-half. Jackson assisted on 24.8 percent (137) of Drummond's 552 made field goals, by far the highest percentage of any Pistons player.

One could argue Detroit still needs one truly marquee player to become an NBA title contender. Simply building around Jackson and Drummond isn't enough to overcome the Cavs, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs.

Still, the Pistons have a strong nucleus, and this year's first-round exit provided the players the kind of experience that can prove invaluable down the road.

Van Gundy is building a strong, cohesive unit with his current squad, and losing Drummond would've set the team back at a critical juncture in its development. The Pistons can ill afford to lose key players at a point where it's only a few moves away from building a potential challenger to the Cavaliers' throne.

Stats are courtesy of NBA.com unless otherwise noted.