Andre Drummond wants to stay with the Pistons: ‘I’m not a quitter’

While the Pistons may be gearing up to move him, Andre Drummond has no desire to leave Detroit.

If he has it his way, he’ll stay with the Pistons for the rest of his career.

“I’m not a quitter, never brought up to be a quitter,” Drummond said, via the Detroit Free Press. “I started here, and I’m trying to finish here and try to complete the mission of winning a championship here. It’ll never be me that wants to go anywhere.

“I’d love to play the rest of my career here.”

The Pistons have engaged in discussions with several teams about a possible deal to trade Drummond ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday. While several teams are interested, the Atlanta Hawks are apparently heavily involved and have talked about a trade package that includes a 2020 first-round draft pick, among other things.

Drummond has averaged 17.4 points and a league-high 15.9 rebounds per game this season, his eighth in the NBA since the Pistons selected him with the ninth overall pick in the 2012 draft. He finished with 12 points and 18 rebounds in their 106-99 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center on Sunday night, too.

Drummond is in the fourth year of his five-year, $127 million deal with Detroit. While Wojnarowski reported that the 26-year-old was planning to turn down his $29 million option for next season and become a free agent, Drummond’s comments make it seem otherwise.

Regardless, the Pistons are off to a rough start this season — going just 13-24 to start the year. Star forward Blake Griffin is reportedly considering undergoing a season-ending knee surgery, too, something that would make things even more difficult for Detroit going forward.

Though Pistons owner Tom Gores was less clear when asked about Drummond specifically this week — he said only that “Andre’s going to have to make his choice” when it comes to next season — Gores does sound like he’s ready to take a step back and collect younger talent to help rebuild the franchise.

“We probably have to take some chances with some of the young guys, but absolutely,” Gores said last week, via the Free Press. “That’s what we’re aspiring to do — something bigger than what we’ve been doing, but I haven’t lost faith in what [Pistons coach Dwane Casey] is doing and how we’re developing the players and our future.”

Though the Pistons are reportedly ready to trade him, center Andre Drummond doesn’t want to leave Detroit.
Though the Pistons are reportedly ready to trade him, center Andre Drummond doesn’t want to leave Detroit. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

More from Yahoo Sports: