Regrading the Cavs’ Jarrett Allen trade with the Nets

Regrading Cavs’ trade for Jarrett Allen: What we thought then

The Cleveland Cavaliers were not rabid suitors of available centers back at the start of the 2020-21 NBA season. They had Andre Drummond and JaVale McGee in tow, not to mention Larry Nance Jr., Marques Bolden and Thon Maker all in the mix. They certainly didn’t need a big man in the immediate.

That led to much of the head-scratching when the Cavs’ involvement in the deal was announced. ESPN’s Kevin Pelton ($) called it “awkward” given the logjam of bigs, and gave the Cavs a tepid grade on the deal; while he acknowledged Allen’s excellent fit with Darius Garland and Collin Sexton, he thought the cost in draft capital and dead salary (in taking on Taurean Prince’s contract) was unbalanced to Cleveland’s detriment. Other analysts who keep a close eye on contracts and transactions remarked on how the Cavs paid a hefty price at the league’s most replaceable position only to set themselves up to overpay Allen in restricted free agency that summer.

Others were much more positive. The Athletic’s Shams Charania ($) gave the Cavs an A+ for adding a high-level two-way center, comparing him to Alonzo Mourning (to be fair Charania’s career is based on positive relationships with teams and agents, so all of his grades are wildly positive).

Those covering the Cavs somehow topped Charania’s grade, however. Sam Penix of CavsNation gave the deal an A++, and our own Dan Gilinsky gave it “three thumbs up (if that were possible)” and called it a relative killing for how little they paid. “Take a bow” he told Koby Altman.

How did that positivity hold up?