4 ways the Cavaliers can solve their toughest offseason problem

Solution No. 3: Trade Jarrett Allen for a top-end starter

This is the biggest swing the Cavaliers could realistically make. Having Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley locked into the lineup means the Cavs don’t have any lineup versatility; they can’t slide them up and start someone else at center, for example. To “go small” means pulling one of their two big men, and likely putting in less-talented wings.

Trading Allen for a wing would theoretically shift the Cavs’ talent up the lineup, allowing the team to play big or small depending on the opponent and situation. It also is a way to shift the issue with the MLE; instead of shopping for a perimeter player, they can shop for a replacement center.

The problem is that center is a less valuable position than a 3-and-D wing, both because of the replacement value (there are plenty of options available at a low cost) and because of that lineup inflexibility. With a wing you can always play another wing; with a center, you rarely can play another center.

That means trading Allen likely means getting a less talented player back at another position, but that might just need to be the bullet this team bites to unlock their ceiling. We recently pitched a trade that would bring back Jerami Grant in a sign-and-trade. The Cavs will likely call around the league to feel out the trade market for their big man, even if moving him is a tough pill to swallow.