Cavaliers Rumors: Andre Drummond, CLE 'Far Apart' in Contract Extension Talks

Andre Drummond has been open about his desire to pick up his $28.7 million player option with the Cleveland Cavaliers after joining them in February from the Detroit Pistons, but his future after that is unclear.

According to Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor, Drummond and the Cavaliers are "far apart" when it comes to preliminary discussions regarding a contract extension.

Fedor reported that there was initially mutual interest in keeping Drummond in Cleveland. The problem lies in Drummond wanting to be rewarded for skipping out on free agency in a budget-friendly 2021 should he extend his stay with the Cavaliers, while the team is recognizing that the two-time All-Star may be easy to replace.

"The Cavs recognize Drummond's talent but they are also honest about his flaws, especially in this pace-and-space era, where bigs like him are easy to attain," Fedor wrote. "They don't want to commit to an unfriendly deal that could limit future moves, not after an eight-game sample size."

Through eight games with the Cavaliers, who missed the postseason for the second consecutive year after two trips to the NBA Finals, Drummond averaged 17.5 points and 11.1 rebounds in 28.1 minutes.

Fedor also reported that if an extension does not work out, Cleveland could hold on to Drummond until the trade deadline, when they can send him to a team whose playoff hopes would be elevated by an NBA veteran who carries no contract commitment beyond 2021, with the Cavaliers getting another piece in return to help bring them back into playoff contention.