Andre Drummond Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Trade Rumors: Johnson, Martin, Sixers, Lakers, Jazz

February 5th, 2025 at 10:28am CST by Luke Adams

It seems increasingly likely that Cameron Johnson will remain in Brooklyn beyond the trade deadline, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post, who has consistently heard that the Nets are willing to field calls about the veteran forward but aren’t actively shopping him.

While the Nets moved quickly this season to trade Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith, both of whom can reach unrestricted free agency this summer, Johnson is under contract for two more years beyond this one, so there’s no urgency in Brooklyn to move off of him at this point — especially since the team still projects to have substantial cap room for next season even with Johnson’s $20.5MM salary on the books.

Ian Begley of SNY.tv also reported on Tuesday that a Johnson trade may not happen this week.

We have more trade rumors from around the NBA:

There’s a chance that KJ Martin, whom the Pistons agreed to acquire from Philadelphia, could be rerouted to another team prior to Thursday’s trade deadline, tweets Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press. If Detroit were to acquire Martin using cap space rather than the room exception, his salary could be aggregated with one or more other players in a subsequent deal.
According to Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Substack link), Andre Drummond, Eric Gordon, and Guerschon Yabusele are among the veterans who continue to draw interest for the Sixers, who already traded Caleb Martin in addition to KJ Martin. However, Philadelphia is reluctant to move Yabusele, preferring to find a way to retain him beyond his current one-year, minimum-salary contract, Stein and Fischer say.
Grant Afseth of RG.org takes a look at the Lakers‘ hunt for another center, suggesting that – despite Rob Pelinka‘s comments downplaying the urgency to find more than a stop-gap – the team is still considering a wide range of possible targets.
Tony Jones of The Athletic checks in on the Jazz‘s plans ahead of the trade deadline, writing that John Collins and Jordan Clarkson are considered more available than Collin Sexton and especially Walker Kessler. Utah values Sexton and has set a “very high” asking price for Kessler, Jones explains.

Joel Embiid Available To Play Tuesday After Month-Long Absence

February 4th, 2025 at 4:23pm CST by Dana Gauruder

FEBRUARY 4: Embiid will be available to play on Tuesday vs. Dallas, the team confirmed today (via Twitter).

FEBRUARY 3: Joel Embiid could return to action on Tuesday. The Sixers are listing their star center as questionable to play against the Mavericks, Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports tweets.

Embiid hasn’t seen action since Jan. 4 due to lingering left knee issues. The big man has only appeared in 13 games this season, averaging 24.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 29.5 minutes per game. He was limited to 39 games last season, when he averaged a career-best 34.7 PPG, 11 RPG and 5.6 APG.

The return of Embiid could factor into the Sixers’ plans regarding their roster with the trade deadline looming. Philadelphia’s brass reportedly has no intention to give up on this season, even though Embiid and prized free agent Paul George have been sidelined for a chunk of its games. George is listed as out on Tuesday due to a finger injury, but he, like Embiid, practiced on Tuesday, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.

The Sixers have a 19-29 record after losing their last two games following a four-game winning streak.

Embiid isn’t the only Sixers player close to returning after an extended absence. Embiid’s backup Andre Drummond (left toe), Caleb Martin (right hip) and KJ Martin (left foot) are also questionable to play on Tuesday. As Bodner points out, Drummond has only played in four games since Dec. 23, Caleb Martin has been out since Jan. 10 and KJ Martin hasn’t seen action since Dec. 23.

As for their opponent, the Mavericks are listing Anthony Davis and Max Christie as questionable to play on Tuesday, Mike Curtis of the Dallas Morning News tweets. Interestingly, Davis’ abdominal strain was not listed on the Mavs’ injury report. Instead, the questionable tag was due to “trade pending,” though Dallas has officially announced the blockbuster deal with the Lakers and Jazz.

Celtics, Knicks, Nuggets Among Teams Registering Interest In Yabusele

January 30th, 2025 at 7:39pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Celtics, Knicks, Nuggets and others have called the Sixers to express interest in trading for forward Guerschon Yabusele, HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto writes.

As we relayed earlier this week, the Sixers reportedly “love” the French forward, but his impending unrestricted free agent status gives the team plenty to think about at this deadline.

Yabusele is averaging 10.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game so far this season while shooting 50.2% from the field and 39.3% from three. He’s been a crucial part of a Sixers team that has been ravaged by injuries. Yabusele entered Thursday with 22 starts under his belt.

After Yabusele’s $2.09MM salary expires this offseason, he’ll have no shortage of suitors in free agency. The Sixers only hold his Non-Bird rights, so they’re limited in what they can offer him unless they use their mid-level exception — they’ll likely only have the taxpayer form of the MLE.

As Scotto writes, given that the Sixers are 19-27 and currently on the outside looking in for the play-in tournament (though they’re tied with the Bulls), contending teams are calling about Philadelphia’s veterans. Not only would Yabusele bolster any playoff rotation, but his team-friendly contract this year could offer savings for contenders looking to cut costs.

Yabusele isn’t the only player generating interest on the trade market. As we wrote on Monday, Eric Gordon is also receiving interest. Scotto reports that rivals have checked in on Andre Drummond, Kelly Oubre and, notably, Caleb Martin as well. Martin signed a four-year, $35MM deal with Philadelphia this summer — if the Sixers decide to sell their veterans, he would be one of the more coveted players on the block.

Drummond has a player option worth $5MM next year while Oubre has one worth about $8.38MM.

Despite what sounds like healthy interest in players who would make sense to sell for a team interested in draft position, I’m somewhat skeptical the Sixers would proceed with a full-blown fire sale. For starters, as mentioned, Philadelphia is tied with the Bulls for 10th in the East. They’re also just four games out of the sixth seed, entering Thursday. While nothing has gone according to plan for Philadelphia this year, the team remains in position to claim a postseason appearance with better health luck moving forward. The Sixers are on a four-game winning streak, for what it’s worth.

The Sixers’ draft pick in this class is also protected, but only if it lands in the top six. While it’s not unheard of for teams with low odds to win big and move into the top four, the Sixers have likely already won too many games to truly bottom out and end up as one of the league’s worst six teams record-wise. And even if the Sixers did end up with one of the six worst records, there’s still a chance that pick falls out of their hands and into the Thunder’s if they’re leap-frogged by a team with lower odds on lottery night.

If the Sixers envision themselves as contenders next year, it would make sense to keep players like Martin, Oubre and Yabusele who can contribute to winning with a healthier roster.

Paul George To Undergo MRI On Finger

January 25th, 2025 at 11:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Paul George suffered an injury to his left pinky finger during Saturday’s game at Chicago and will undergo an MRI on Sunday, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Sixers coach Nick Nurse told reporters that George jammed the finger, which caused him to be removed from the game in the second quarter. George played just under 13 minutes, finishing with nine points, one rebound and one assist.

It’s been a difficult season for George and the Sixers in general, although Saturday’s win pulled them to within one game of the Bulls for 10th place and the final play-in spot in the East. They were expecting to be among the league’s top teams after adding George in free agency, but he and Joel Embiid have suffered a series of injuries that have wrecked the season.

George has missed 14 games already with a variety of ailments, including left groin soreness that forced him to sit out twice last week. He has appeared in 30 games in his first season with Philadelphia, and his scoring average of 17.4 PPG is down more than five points from what it was with the Clippers last season. However, he’s collecting 5.8 rebounds and dishing out 4.8 assists per night, which are both above last season’s averages.

The Sixers were already missing five rotation players for tonight’s game, including rookie guard Jared McCain, who was lost for the season after surgery on his left meniscus. Embiid is dealing with swelling in his left knee and hasn’t played since January 4. Backup center Andre Drummond sat out while recovering from an injury to his left toe, Caleb Martin has a strained right hip and KJ Martin hasn’t played since December 23 due to a stress reaction in his left foot.

Both Martins are expected to return to practice next week and their availability will be determined from there, Pompey states in a full story on the game.

Atlantic Notes: Drummond, Thomas, Hart, Raptors

January 22nd, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Sixers center Andre Drummond cashed in with Detroit when he became a free agent in 2016, signing a five-year, maximum-salary contract worth in excess of $127MM. However, the veteran big man has had to settle for deals worth the minimum or a little above it in recent years — his current two-year, $10MM pact with Philadelphia is his most lucrative contract since that max deal ended.

Appearing this week on Podcast P with Paul George (YouTube link), Drummond told his Sixers teammate that he regrets how he responded after earning that max deal with the Pistons.

“Once I got that max contract, I was like, ‘Oh s–t, my work is done. I did it. I made it here. Now I get to play however I want to play. I’m the best guy on my team, making the highest amount of money, so I get to have this leadership role,'” Drummond said (hat tip to HoopsHype). “I don’t think I did it the right way, because not only did I not understand that that could’ve been $100 million two or three or four or five times — I only got it once because I didn’t maximize that time of being the max guy.

“If I could go back, I would’ve done it completely differently. I would’ve been a lot more attentive to working on my game and becoming more than just the best rebounder in the league. I would’ve tried to add more different pieces to my game so that when the league changed, it wouldn’t have been so difficult for me to make the adjustment with the league too.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Nets guard Cam Thomas, who has been out since January 2 due to a left hamstring strain, has resumed on-court activities but isn’t taking contact yet, according to head coach Jordi Fernandez. Bridget Reilly of The New York Post has the story.
Josh Hart believes his comments earlier this month about the Knicks needing to put aside “egos” and “agendas” were blown out of proportion and made it clear he wasn’t referring to any specific teammates, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. “Y’all look too much into everything,” Hart said on Tuesday. “… I said something about egos and y’all took that and ran with it. To win, you have to have a team that don’t have egos. That’s why Boston won. They have a team that doesn’t have egos. You got Jrue Holiday that’s been an All-Star, All-Defense, All-NBA, max player. He don’t give a damn about scoring. So that’s the ego-less attitude that we have to have. There was no pinpointing somebody. But that’s what you have to have to win.”
Tuesday’s 16-point victory over Orlando served as a glimpse at what the first half of the Raptors‘ season could’ve looked like if the team hadn’t had to deal with so many injuries, writes Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. As Grange observes, reliable second-unit veterans like Kelly Olynyk and Bruce Brown – both of whom didn’t make their season debuts until December – played key roles in the win. Olynyk, who was an incredible +39 in 22 minutes, and Brown are both considered candidates to be moved at the trade deadline.

Atlantic Notes: Brown, Olynyk, Brissett, Sixers

January 21st, 2025 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors wing Bruce Brown admits he was caught off guard when Indiana dealt him to Toronto last January, just six months after signing him to a $45MM contract in free agency. But he’s better prepared this time around for the uncertainty of trade season, as Doug Smith of The Toronto Star relays.

“I’ve been in this situation the last two years, so if (a trade) happens, it does; if it doesn’t, I’m happy to be here,” Brown said. “It’s a business, (the talk is) going to happen. I was completely shocked last year when I got traded, so this year it’s whatever.”

Brown, who played a key role on the Denver team that won a title in 2023, is still adjusting to a new role in Toronto. That, along with the fact that he has a $23MM cap hit and spent most of the first half of the season recovering from offseason knee surgery, will limit his value. For now, he’s focused on figuring out how he can best help the Raptors, Smith writes.

“You gotta understand, in Denver I was the backup point guard. I had the ball in my hands, making plays with older players on the team,” Brown said. “Then I get to Indy, still kind of on-ball when Tyrese (Haliburton) was out. I had big 30-point games and the ball in my hands to make plays.

“Then I come here and IQ (Immanuel Quickley) is going to have the ball, Scottie (Barnes) is going to have the ball, RJ (Barrett) is gonna have the ball, we’re gonna run plays for Gradey (Dick). Just trying to pick my spots when I can score, when I can’t and, really, just get the ball off misses and try to push in transition. I think I can be a more effective transition scorer.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Like Brown, veteran center Kelly Olynyk is still working to get fully comfortable in his role with the Raptors after joining the team midway through last season and battling various injuries since then. And like Brown, he’s aware that his name has popped up in trade rumors ahead of the Feb. 6 deadline. “Now 12 years in this, I’ve been traded three times. If it happens, it happens,” Olynyk said, per Smith. “If not, your feet are where you are, and you’re going to do your best to contribute to winning in that organization.”
Oshae Brissett was in camp with Team Canada under Jordi Fernandez last summer and the Nets‘ head coach is happy to have the veteran wing joining Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, he told Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “Young, good size, motor. He can play multiple positions defensively. (He’s) switchable, great rebounder,” Fernandez said of Brissett. “In the NBA the thing is that his shooting went a little bit up and down. He had one very good season shooting the three, and then went a little down. But definitely I have no doubt in my mind that he has a place in this league, and I really enjoyed my time with him.”
If the Sixers, who have lost six straight games, hope to snap their losing streak on Tuesday in Denver, they’ll have to do so with a depleted roster. As Vinny Benedetto of The Denver Gazette tweets, Philadelphia has already ruled out five players, including superstar center Joel Embiid, and has Paul George (left groin soreness), Andre Drummond (left toe injury recovery), and Guerschon Yabusele (right knee contusion) listed as questionable. Kyle Lowry and Caleb Martin, both of whom have right hip sprains, are missing their ninth and sixth consecutive games, respectively.

Sixers Notes: Oubre, Injuries, Drummond, George, Draft Pick

January 17th, 2025 at 3:04pm CST by Tristan Tucker

With Caleb Martin and KJ Martin sidelined with injuries, the Sixers‘ forward depth was thin on Wednesday against New York. Kelly Oubre Jr. slid from shooting guard to power forward, delivering with 16 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and a block. While the Sixers lost for their seventh time in nine games, Oubre’s defensive intensity stood out, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

“It’s just kind of getting back to the basics,” Oubre said. “I could speak for myself, like it’s bread and butter for me. If things around me are out of control, then I know I can focus on my energy and my effort on the defensive end.”

Oubre’s has had an impressive defensive season, ranking second in the league in deflections and tied for 14th in steals per game. The Sixers pushed the Knicks to overtime due in part to the defensive play of Oubre, who holds a player option worth roughly $8.38MM for next season.

We have more from the Sixers:

Paul George, Guerschon Yabusele, Kyle Lowry, and KJ Martin didn’t practice for the Sixers on Friday, according to Pompey (Twitter link). However, Caleb Martin was a partial participant and Andre Drummond practiced fully after missing the last six games due to injury. In a separate tweet, Pompey reports head coach Nick Nurse said he has high hopes for Drummond playing Saturday against Indiana. Drummond is listed as probable for that game.
The Sixers need George to step up without Embiid available, Zach Powell and Jared Weiss of The Athletic write. Philadelphia has obviously been worse off without their superstar in Embiid, but if they hope to make a run to the play-in, let alone the playoffs, George will need to play at a high level. It’s an opportunity for George to prove his star quality and to justify the Sixers’ faith in him, Powell and Weiss write.
With the Sixers on the outside looking in for the postseason, Fred Katz of The Athletic notes that they owe their first-round pick to the Thunder if it lands outside the top six. The Sixers currently have the eighth-highest odds for the No. 1 overall pick. With that in mind, Katz ponders whether the Sixers could do what the Mavericks did in 2023, when they fell out of the playoffs and thus, kept their top-10 protected pick, landing a Finals contributor in Dereck Lively II. This stretch without Embiid ahead of the trade deadline could reveal their plans not only for February, but potentially for the draft as well.

Sixers Notes: Injuries, Nance, Athleticism, Arena

January 14th, 2025 at 5:44pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to being without Joel Embiid, Kyle Lowry, and Andre Drummond, as we relayed earlier, the Sixers have also ruled out Paul George (right ankle soreness), Tyrese Maxey (left hand sprain), and Caleb Martin (right groin soreness) for Tuesday’s game vs. Oklahoma City, per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links).

On the plus side, Drummond and KJ Martin, who has been out since December 23 due to a left foot stress reaction, have resumed on-court work, Pompey notes (via Twitter). Drummond and Embiid are considered day-to-day, while KJ Martin’s return timeline is TBD.

In total, eight players are unavailable against the Thunder, so the Sixers will roll with a skeleton crew that includes a starting lineup of Reggie Jackson, Eric Gordon, Ricky Council, Kelly Oubre, and Guerschon Yabusele, tweets Pompey. It’s the first end of a back-to-back set for Philadelphia, so the team will hope to be a bit more whole on Wednesday vs. New York.

Here’s more on the 76ers:

After waiving Pete Nance last Tuesday, the Sixers spent the week surveying the free agent market and considering other options for their open two-way slot, Pompey reports (Twitter link). However, given Embiid’s and Drummond’s injuries, the club ultimately decided that a big man was its biggest need, which is why Nance was re-signed to a new two-way deal earlier today.
Within his takeaways from Sunday’s loss to Orlando, Pompey writes that the veteran Sixers couldn’t keep up with the more youthful Magic, suggesting that Philadelphia’s roster could benefit from an influx of athleticism.
In an in-depth story for The Inquirer, Sean Collins Walsh and Alex Coffey take a closer look at how the Sixers and Comcast Spectacor reached an agreement to keep the team in South Philadelphia, including the role that NBA commissioner Adam Silver played in thawing out an icy relationship between the two sides.

Injury Notes: Wagner, Magic, Kyrie, Sixers, Haliburton, Jackson

January 14th, 2025 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Magic forward Franz Wagner, who is recovering from a torn right oblique, will remain sidelined for Wednesday’s game in Milwaukee, but his injury designation will be updated to “return to competition reconditioning,” according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).

The change in designation doesn’t necessarily mean Wagner’s return is imminent, but it does suggest that he’s entering the final stage of his rehab process. By comparison, teammate Paolo Banchero, who sustained a torn oblique of his own on October 30, had his designation changed to “return to competition reconditioning” on December 27, then returned to action on January 10.

“I feel good,” Wagner said on Tuesday (Twitter link via Beede). “I think everything is going in a really good direction. I was able to do some more stuff on the court. I think pretty much the muscle is not the issue at this point. It’s more of getting back in shape, making sure that I check all of the boxes before I go play a game.”

Wagner, Gary Harris (left hamstring strain), and Jett Howard (left ankle sprain) went through a non-contact practice on Tuesday, per Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley (Twitter links via Beede). Tristan Da Silva (illness) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (sore left knee) also practiced, but Jalen Suggs (low back strain) and Goga Bitadze (right hip contusion) didn’t, Beede adds.

Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:

Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving, who last played on January 1, has been upgraded to questionable for Tuesday’s matchup with Denver. The Mavs announced last Monday that Irving was expected to miss at least a week or two due to a bulging disc in his back, but he fully participated in Monday’s practice and “looked good,” head coach Jason Kidd said (Twitter link via Jared Greenberg of NBA TV).
The banged-up Sixers will be missing Joel Embiid (left foot sprain), Andre Drummond (left toe sprain), and Kyle Lowry (right hip sprain) for a fifth straight game on Tuesday vs. Oklahoma City. Philadelphia also added Tyrese Maxey to its injury report as a result of a left hand sprain, with the star guard considered questionable to play against OKC.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed during a radio appearance on Tuesday that it’s “highly unlikely” Tyrese Haliburton suits up vs. Cleveland tonight, but said the point guard’s hamstring issue isn’t believed to be significant, as Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star relays. “The good news is we don’t believe that it’s serious,” Carlisle said. “It was tightness, soreness. When you have a high-functioning athlete, skill player like Tyrese, tightness can really make it difficult for him to play at the level that he plays at. Having him come out of (Sunday’s) game was absolutely the right thing to do.”
Grizzlies forward GG Jackson has essentially recovered from his offseason foot surgery and his season debut isn’t far off, according to head coach Taylor Jenkins. “It’s more just about reconditioning and back to play,” Jenkins said (story via Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal). “There may be opportunities with the (G League’s Memphis) Hustle for his first exposure to live five-on-five play.”

Atlantic Notes: Drummond, Embiid, Whitehead, Quickley

December 22nd, 2024 at 8:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

With Joel Embiid missing a majority of the Sixers’ games so far, Andre Drummond has played an unheralded role in Philadelphia, not just on the court but also as a respected locker room voice, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey.

Drummond, who signed a two-year, $10MM with the Sixers during the summer, is averaging 7.1 points and 8.3 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game across 23 outings (14 starts). That’s his highest MPG average and the most starts he has made since the 2021/22 season.

“I’m at a point now where I’ve done everything individually, accolade-wise,” Drummond said. “A lot of things that guys in this league haven’t done, I’ve done it already, individually. My goal now is to win. And whatever capacity that comes in, you know, I’m down to do for the team. Do I want to play more? Of course, who doesn’t want to play more? But that’s not best for the team right now.”

We have more from the Atlantic Division:

Embiid’s latest injury was a right sinus fracture but he was able to rack up 34 points against Charlotte this week. The Sixers star said he’s stopping feeling sorry for himself when he gets injured, Pompey writes. “A lesson that I learned is stop feeling bad about myself, live day by day, enjoy the good people around, the positive and not focus on the negative,” he said.
Dariq Whitehead has only appeared in three games with the Nets this season but the 2023 first-rounder isn’t upset. He’s actually glad to be spending time with the Long Island Nets, since being in the G League gives the forward an opportunity to play regular minutes. “I was very clear with my agent that I needed to continue to play,” he told Eric Slater of Clutch Points (hat tip to NetsDaily.com). “I knew we had some guys that were injured, some older guys, and I knew they were gonna come back and get back in the rotation. So I was very adamant with my agent that I needed to go back down to the G League and play. That was a big boost for me.”
Immanuel Quickley is inching closer to a return after missing 17 games due to a left elbow injury. The Raptors guard, who also had an eight-game absence early in the season due to a pelvic injury, went through a light practice Saturday and was a full participant in all non-contact elements, according to Michael Grange of Sportsnet. He’ll know he’s ready to suit up again when he can throw all the one-handed passes a point guard needs with his left hand, Grange adds.