NBA Rumors: Tom Thibodeau vetoed New York Knicks' move for Andre Drummond

Before Andre Drummond signed with the LA Lakers, several NBA rumors had linked him to the New York Knicks. The Knicks were in need of a center following Mitchell Robinson's run-in with injuries and Drummond seemed like the best option available. Head coach Tom Thibodeau had other ideas though.

The New York Knicks were in a prime position to land Andre Drummond after he was bought out by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks had enough cap space to offer him a long-term contract, something that other franchises were not in a position to do. As per the NY Post's Marc Berman, though, Tom Thibodeau stopped the franchise from signing Drummond. Berman wrote:

"Sources say coach Tom Thibodeau was behind the passing on Drummond and, as we all know, the major reason the Knicks brought back Gibson, who played for him in Chicago and Minnesota."

Knicks/Lakers rewatch. Drummond struggled the entire night in large part to the defense of Noel/Gibson. RJ converges on him as soon as he puts the ball on the floor. Great hands by both RJ and Noel here. pic.twitter.com/pgMtEm7fjk

— Ariel (@APachecoNBA) April 13, 2021

Instead of bringing in Andre Drummond, the New York Knicks have promoted Nerlens Noel to the starting lineup. Taj Gibson, one of the favorites of Tom Thibodeau, is playing the role of a makeshift center off the bench.

NBA Rumors: How have the New York Knicks fared after passing on Andre Drummond?

Tom Thibodeau

The New York Knicks have managed to hold their own without making a splash on Andre Drummond. The Knicks are on a six-game winning run right now, which puts them in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Both Nerlens Noel and Taj Gibson have chimed in with handy contributions for the New York Knicks defensively. Noel, in particular, has done well as a rim-protector and is averaging 2.1 blocks per game. Both players are averaging roughly five points per game apiece, but head coach Tom Thibodeau doesn't expect much from either player on the scoring front.

🚫 NERLENS NOEL DENIES IT AT THE RIM ON ESPN! 🚫 pic.twitter.com/oAZ1cJm9hF

— NBA (@NBA) April 17, 2021

Signing Andre Drummond would've most likely helped the New York Knicks, but for now, they're doing just fine with Noel and Gibson.