The Cleveland Cavaliers cannot catch a break. Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio both went down with season-ending injuries. Darius Garland is dealing with a chronic back condition. Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley, Lauri Markkanen and Caris LeVert have all sustained injuries that caused them to miss chunks of time. Now it gets worse, as All-Star center Jarrett Allen is out indefinitely with a fractured finger, on top of a potential quad injury.
Allen is the defensive linchpin of the Cavs’ 4th-ranked defense, and he has become one of the league’s best finishers. Without Allen this team isn’t going to reach its ceiling, and they would be severe longshots even to win a playoff series. Getting him back healthy is paramount to making any sort of postseason noise.
The Cleveland Cavaliers might need to sign a big man to fill in for Jarrett Allen. Who could the Cavs consider on the free-agent market?
In the meantime, the Cavs have to find a way to survive the next 18 games. They are currently 37-27, in sixth-place, and a full three games clear of the Toronto Raptors after beating them on Sunday. Finish sixth or better and they are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs; fall to seventh and the play-in tournament looms.
The Cavs will lean on Kevin Love a little bit more, and Evan Mobley will play more minutes at the 5, but the Cavs will need another center to mix into the rotation. The only other option on the roster is Ed Davis, and his performance this season has been very mixed. If Mobley, Love or Davis were to miss time, the Cavs would be seriously thin at a position that used to be one of its deepest.
With a roster spot opening up as Tim Frazier‘s 10-day contract expires, which free agent centers might be available and helpful to the Cavs? No one available fits the mold of Allen, but a few players could help in different ways. Here are three possibilities and why they might help.
3 free agent bigs Cavs could sign: Enes Freedom
By far the player on this list with the best pedigree and longest career is Enes Kanter Freedom, who most recently played for the Boston Celtics. He appeared in 35 games, averaging 11.2 points and 14 rebounds per-36 minutes on 52.6 percent shooting. He was traded at the deadline to the Houston Rockets in the package that saw Daniel Theis return to Boston, and a few days later he was waived.
Freedom was the third overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the result of a pick the Utah Jazz acquired from New Jersey in the Deron Williams deal. He played 3.5 seasons in Utah before he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. From there he also played in New York, Portland, Boston, Portland again, and finally Boston (again) this season.
Freedom is a double-double machine when he gets enough minutes. He is not afraid to shoot anywhere around the basket, with light tough and great instincts on angles and positioning. He is an excellent rebounder on both ends of the court.
The Cavs would get size (6’10”, 250 pounds) and production from the center position by inserting Freedom into the rotation. He will clean the glass, play conservative defense near the rim and work hard every minute he plays. He won’t space the court, provide much defensive value outside of at the rim itself, and his passing is wobbly, but the Cavs would know what they are getting with Freedom.
3 free agent bigs Cavs could sign: Tacko Fall
We have talked about Tacko Fall a few different times this season, including highlighting him as a G League player the team could consider signing. That possibility only increases with the injury to Allen. Fall, having played part of the season with the Cavs, can step in and immediately fill a role as a player familiar with the system and the play calls.
At 7’6″ Fall is one of the most recognizable and unique players in the entire league, and at the very least he comes into a game, plays hard, and takes up space. With Evan Mobley roving everywhere on the court the Cavs can drop Fall back to the paint and have him swat at attacking players.
Signing Fall isn’t the flashy pick or the high-upside one, but it’s conservative. It would be inexpensive, and the Cavs could sign Fall to either a 10-day contract or even move Brandon Goodwin to the main roster and sign Fall back to his two-way slot.
Fall is averaging 12.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in the G League this year with the Cleveland Charge, and his 2.5 blocks per game rank third in the entire league behind Jay Huff and EJ Onu. He is a player with very defined strengths and weaknesses, and the Cavs might be convinced to give him another go.
3 free agent bigs Cavs could sign: Moses Brown
After going undrafted in 2019, former UCLA center Moses Brown spent his rookie season with the Portland Trail Blazers, playing minimally. Then last season he broke out on a two-way deal for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who signed him to a full contract in March and traded him to the Boston Celtics in June.
That didn’t last long, as Brown was then sent on to the Dallas Mavericks in the Josh Richardson deal. In Dallas, Brown couldn’t find the court often enough, playing 169 total minutes across 25 contests. He was active when he was on the court — 17.3 points and 13 rebounds per-36 — but wasn’t there often enough. When the Mavericks made a deal at the deadline that brought back an extra player, Brown was waived.
There is still potential there, and Brown is just 22 years old. The 7’2″ center could approximate some of what Allen brought. He is a poor defender and doesn’t space the floor, but he is a relentless rebounder with good scoring tough. There should be at least one more chance for Brown in this league. If the Cavs are looking to sign someone they could potentially keep around, Brown is a solid option.
There isn’t yet a timeline for Allen’s recovery, but he will be out for some time. The Cavs could go for a veteran or a young gun, but they almost certainly need to sign someone to man the 5. Who could it be? Certainly a surprise could be in order, but most likely the Cavs sign someone known and predictable. Any of these three options should be on the table.