Grade the Trade: Jarrett Allen to Mavs in proposed deal with Cavaliers

The name of the game in the NBA Playoffs is versatility. The teams that are successful are the ones with superstars, yes, but ultimately those teams that can throw different lineups, different schemes and different looks at their opponent. The Cleveland Cavaliers had no such versatility in their five-game playoff exit this season.

Some of that is on the coaching staff, and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff and company will spend the offseason thinking through the strategy side. Some is simply personnel, and a team with two small guards and two bigs as its top-4 players locks the Cavs into one basic lineup structure.

The Cavaliers’ roster construction limits its versatility

That’s the underlying problem that some fans and writers are solving by proposing the team trade Jarrett Allen. He is unquestionably one of the best centers in the league, a superb defender and an excellent finisher on offense. He got knocked around a bit against the New York Knicks, but his lack of rebounding position was usually caused by the defensive scheme over an inability to clean the glass himself.

Even so, having two bigs locks the Cavs into big lineups, and while the team will pursue wings in free agency, the most viable path to getting multiple wing and forward options to unlock one-big lineups is trading Jarrett Allen. That’s why popular NBA trade site Fanspo recently proposed such a deal. It illustrates one solution to the problem while also bringing another problem to bear. Let’s dig into the details.