5 of the biggest takeaways from the NBA trade deadline

DETROIT, MICHIGAN - NOVEMBER 11: Robert Covington #33 of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrates a first half basket with Andrew Wiggins #22 while playing the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on November 11, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

4 of 6

(Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images) /

3. Andre Drummond‘s value is dishearteningly clear

You would think perhaps the best rebounder of his era and one of the greatest board grabbers of all-time would return a bit more on the trade market than two low-end bench guys and a second-round pick.

Alas, those are the times the NBA finds itself in nowadays, where big men are forced to adapt to the perimeter-based style of play or face the repercussions of irrelevancy.

Despite two All-Sar appearances and a career double-double average, Andre Drummond hasn’t moved the Detroit Pistons’ competitive needle as much as someone with his numbers should.

It’s not just that they have not a single game victory to show across only two playoff appearances. Since Drummond arrived in 2012, the Pistons have never won more than 44 games in any of his six previous seasons and were on track to fall short once again this year.

They dumped him. They straight up dumped Andre Drummond. They put Drummond out there like you did with your futon when you were moving out of your college apartment after graduation.
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) February 6, 2020

Not all of those shortcomings fall on Drummond, but his offensive limitations and inconsistent defensive effort are much harder to stomach given a contract paying him almost $30 million annually.

The fear of him opting into a $28 million player option for next season is what drove the Pistons to shop Drummond to begin with. They couldn’t have expected much in return for a guy whose contributions to winning are minimal.

What they got was still a shocking statement of how the big man’s historic numbers are viewed around the league, and Drummond received another reminder of his place compared to the stars he likely views as contemporaries.