The Charlotte Hornets have had interest in Andre Drummond for at least a year.

Drummond has a $28.7 million player option for next season that he's expected to decline to become a free agent. The 2020 NBA free agency class is expected to be a weak one, which would make Drummond one of the more coveted players.

Tom Gores is high on Drummond and would like to retain him. The Pistons haven't had trade discussions involving Drummond so far this season.

The Hornets will have max cap space in 2020.

“He’ll be a priority there,” one league executive told Heavy.com of the Hornets. “It’s just a matter of whether they make him a priority now and give up something to get him or try to make the move later. It’s a very cautious group, Mitch Kupchak and those guys. But they might want to get this guy into the fold sooner rather than later, there’s just a lot of incentive there on both sides.”