Andre Drummond will sign with Lakers after clearing waivers

Once Andre Drummond clears waivers at 5 p.m. ET, he will sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, his agent Jeff Schwartz told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

This isn't surprising, as the Lakers were reported as the frontrunner to land Drummond for the past week. In addition to the Lakers, the 27-year-old was also considering pitches from the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets, per Yahoo's Chris Haynes.

Many fans thought Drummond would land with the Brooklyn Nets (since it seemed like an ideal fit), but Brooklyn added two other bought-out veterans in Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge instead.

According to Wojnarowski, the Lakers' stars (LeBron James and Anthony Davis) have been recruiting Drummond and the opportunity to start right away also factored into his decision.

This season, Drummond has averaged 17.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks in 28.9 minutes per game prior to his buyout with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Drummond fills a hole for the Lakers at starting center, allowing Marc Gasol to play fewer minutes. According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Lakers were looking to add a big man either through a trade or signing because "the Marc Gasol experience hasn’t gone as well as hoped."