Andre Drummond Gets Real On His Journey From A $100 Million Contract To A Veteran’s Minimum

Andre Drummond appeared on his 76ers' teammate Paul George's 'Podcast P' show recently. During the chat, Drummond spoke candidly about his career journey, and how he went from making $100 million on a max contract to signing for a veteran's minimum contract recently. He pointed to his immaturity and lack of focus for his slump but credits his drive for still being in the NBA and not giving up.

"Once I got that max contract, I was like 'Oh sh*t, the work is done'. Now, I get to play however I want to play. I'm the best guy on my team, I make the highest amount of money, so I get to have this leadership role. I don't think I did it the right way."

"Because, not only did I not understand that $100 million could have been two, three, four, or five times, I only got it once because I didn't maximize that time being the max guy. If I could go back, I would've done it completely differently. The only thing that really saved me was my athleticism, being able to guard one through five."

"If I was slow and not athletic, I probably would have been out of the league after that $100 million contract, honestly. I was a kid that made a lot of money. I'm from Connecticut, I ain't ever seen a $100 million in my life, I'd never driven fast cars, never had a big house before. Seeing that type of success so young, for a guy who has never seen that before, it hit. But I did it. Like sh*t, this is it."

"The point I'm making is that it could have been generational times generational if I would have taken those further steps to better my career. I had an amazing time in Detroit, I learned a lot about myself and what I really want out of this career which is why I'm still going."

"A lot of these guys don't want to accept taking minimums, taking the route that I took to get to where I am. Some guys probably would have quit. I never had that in my DNA, to quit on something that I love. That is really the reason why I'm still going, I love this game and I know I have more to give to this league."

Drummond entered the NBA as the ninth overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, joining the Detroit Pistons. He signed a four-year, $10.6 million rookie contract. After a great first four years with the Pistons, he signed a massive five-year $127.1 million contract with the franchise in 2016.

The Cavaliers traded for Drummond in February 2020, and bought him out in March 2021, as he was in the final year of his contract. He'd agree to a contract till the end of the season with the Lakers a few weeks later, worth $794K. Drummond would sign with the Philadelphia 76ers in the summer of 2021, signing a veteran's minimum contract worth $2.4 million.

In 2022, Drummond signed a two-year, $6.6 million contract with the Chicago Bulls. After his player option was accepted in 2023, Drummond became a free agent last summer, when he returned to the Philadelphia 76ers, signing an improved two-year, $10 million contract with the franchise.

You can find the salary breakdown of Andre Drummond's salary year-by-year below:

2012-13 - Detroit Pistons - $2,356,320

2013-14 - Detroit Pistons - $2,462,400

2014-15 - Detroit Pistons - $2,568,360

2015-16 - Detroit Pistons - $3,272,090

2016-17 - Detroit Pistons - $22,116,750

2017-18 - Detroit Pistons - $23,775,506

2018-19 - Detroit Pistons - $25,434,262

2019-20 - Detroit Pistons/Cleveland Cavaliers - $27,093,018

2020-21 - Cleveland Cavaliers - $27,957,238

2021 - Los Angeles Lakers - $794,536

2021-22 - Philadelphia 76ers/Brooklyn Nets - $2,401,537

2022-23 - Chicago Bulls - $3,200,000

2023-24 - Chicago Bulls - $3,360,000

2024-25 - Philadelphia 76ers - $5,000,000

2025-26 - Philadelphia 76ers - $5,000,000

While he isn't earning the same kind of money he once was, he has proven himself to be a useful piece for teams in the league. With the 76ers, he is a backup center behind Joel Embiid. He averages 7.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game while shooting 50.9% from the field, 9.1% from beyond the arc, and 57.4% from the free-throw line.

Drummond has had to work very hard after earning his max contract to stay in the NBA. While we have seen many NBA players flounder after earning their first big payday, Drummond did the work and accepted lesser roles to earn his way back into the good graces of the NBA.