The Cleveland Cavaliers may trade Jarrett Allen if right trade package comes along

The Cleveland Cavaliers may trade Jarrett Allen if the right deal comes about

The Cleveland Cavaliers have made some questionable calls this offseason but maybe none are as bad, or could be as bad, as the idea of trading defensive anchor Jarrett Allen. Allen, who has fallen out of favor with the Cavs and fans due to one bad playoff series, has been a name that teams have sought out the services of ever since before the 2023 NBA Draft. The Cavs weren’t interested in trading him at the time, but now that may have changed.

According to a report from the always reliable Sam Amico of Hoops Wire, the Cavs are interested in trading Allen, but only if the deal is right.

As Amico writes;

"Meanwhile, sources have told Hoops Wire that the Cavs have discussed Allen, but it would take quite a bit in return for them to actually trade him. One source said the Cavs would only trade Allen in a “slam dunk” of a move."

We’ve said it before, trading Jarrett Allen is a bad idea

Allen is one of, if not the best defensive big man in the league. StatMuse has Allen ranked the No. 1 defenisve center ahead of Evan Mobley, Nic Claxton, Joel Embiid, Brook Lopez, Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokic and Bam Adebayo. NBA.com has Allen fourth in defensive win shares, just behind Lopez, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Mobley. He’s a plus defender by every metric and there aren’t many of those guys available.

Thinking the Cavs can just trade him, find someone who can play defense as well as him and somehow have him without killing the team’s cap is a pipe dream. And be real, if Allen was too small against the New York front court, what is Mobley going to do as the team’s center in the event Allen gets traded?

The team can’t afford to trade Allen at this juncture, not with the focus on the team being defense.

• Published on 07/06/2023 at 19:29 PM
• Last updated at 07/06/2023 at 19:29 PM