Grade the Trade: Cavs send Jarrett Allen to Dallas in 3-team deal proposal

Should the Nets and Mavericks go for it?

Obviously, this trade helps both squads with their current goals. As The Athletic mentions, that specific deal could not work financially, but it is not far off. Dallas could swap Dāvis Bertāns for Patty Mills, fixing the money issue. Bertāns has not seen any action for Dallas in some time, while Patty Mills as a backup defensive guard would be of great use for the Mavs. Mills is a polished shooter as well.

The Nets probably say yes. Taking on Bertāns’ $17 million salary next season is not ideal, but as a rebuilding team it would not destroy their cap space. Brooklyn also gets off of two other expiring deals in DFS and O’Neale, so overall they would come out with plenty of financial flexibility.

They get young talent in Green and a top-10 draft selection. Since the Mavericks cannot trade the pick itself due to the Stepien Rule’s restriction on trading picks in consecutive years, this deal would have to be a draft night transaction. Whoever the Mavericks selected would be immediately sent to Brooklyn.

For Dallas, they probably are giving up the most in this deal while only receiving Allen (and probably Mills). Surrendering Josh Green could very likely be a deal breaker for Dallas, as their wing position would be entirely empty. Neither Allen nor Mills magically fix their defense, but they both are definitely a good start.

So, does Dallas do it? They certainly do not hang up the call immediately. The answer is really up for debate. If Cleveland sent a sweetener of some second-round draft picks or cheap salary, then that might swing the deal to a yes. In any case, this specific package would only be the starting point for discussions for Mark Cuban.