There has been plenty of discussion surrounding a potential trade between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Dallas Mavericks after both teams had disappointing ends to their 2022-2023 campaigns. Numerous suggestions of trade proposals between the two teams have been shared among those in the NBA Twitterverse, and from various media outlets, for example.
It appears that the primary player Dallas would want is Cavs 2021-2022 NBA All-Star Jarrett Allen, at least that’s what would be logical for the Mavs. His defensive prowess is an alluring prospect for a team that had the 26th defensive rating in the NBA after the All-Star break. For the Cavaliers, Reggie Bullock is often the central piece being sent in return in hypothetical deals as they search for a long-term starting small forward.
In a vacuum, there’s plenty of reason both teams could want these players. Allen is a tall, defensive big that could be the answer in the post the Mavs have wanted ever since drafting superstar Luka Dončić. Allen as a lob threat and interior defender would allow him to thrive at what he does as Dallas desperately needs to beef up their defense. Additionally, he has multiple years left on his contract at a flat $20 million. With Kyrie Irving’s future in Dallas in question, finding players on manageable salaries is an absolute must for the Mavs.
For Cleveland, Bullock is a solid defender with good three-point shooting, but he’s not the ideal trade option Cleveland could target.
In a recent batch of Nets possible trade proposals, courtesy of Alex Schiffer of The Athletic (subscription required), which featured team reporters giving their reactions to fan suggestions, both Cleveland and Dallas get players that suit their needs. Brooklyn gets in on the action, too.
Here’s the trade:
Nets get: Josh Green and No. 10 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft
Cavaliers get: Royce O’Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith
Mavericks get: Jarrett Allen
In short, this bolsters the Nets’ rebuilding future while the Cavaliers and Mavericks improve their current rosters’ biggest drawbacks.
So, would all three teams say yes?
We’ll first examine if the Nets and Mavs should.
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.
Do the Cavs say yes?
Cleveland’s interest in this trade depends on two main factors: Are they confident they can replace Jarrett Allen in free agency and can they re-sign both Finney-Smith and O’Neale on team-friendly extensions?
One of the many praises for Cleveland’s Koby Altman in the Donovan Mitchell trade was the fact none of the Cavs core was sent to Utah. Though the players lost were talented pieces in the rebuild, there was no serious change to the squad.
For Cleveland to approve this trade, their current perspective on the true core for the future would have to have changed drastically. The Cavaliers would need to be sure that they do not believe Jarrett Allen is replaceable quickly. As it stands, Evan Mobley and Dean Wade are the only two other “true” bigs on Cleveland’s roster, though Dean Wade might not really be considered a big by many onlookers.
There’s no reason for Cleveland entirely to ignore this offer, though. It would certainly answer the looming questions at the wing spot while retaining Isaac Okoro, Ricky Rubio, and Dean Wade for the rotation or later potential trades.
Finney-Smith and O’Neale are the perfect archetypes for Cleveland’s small forward rotation. In the initial article, team reports from The Athletic weighed in from each team’s perspective, and Kelsey Russo, who covers the Cavs, did mention how adding O’Neale and Finney-Smith would help shooting. In the same light, Russo would touch on how both can defend as well, which is central to what Cleveland is about.
Directly following, however, Russo acknowledged how this would impact Cleveland’s center position. With the Mid-Level Exception, the Cavaliers would still have the ability to sign a center to the team, but Russo mentions “the options available are not really much of an upgrade.” Another trade could be made to bring in a big, but this trade in itself significantly shifts Cleveland’s roster.
At the end of the day, it is overall doubtful Cleveland would make this trade right now. They have already stated they intend to start the next season with Jarrett Allen on the books. It also simply answers one question while opening up another. Perhaps Altman already has plans in motion to replace Allen before training camp ends and the season opener arrives, but the uncertainty in this deal alone cannot be ignored.
Additionally, three-team deals are treacherous territory. Brooklyn benefits the most, and in every trade one team will probably get more out of the transaction. So, it’s not bad that the Cavaliers and Mavericks are not in the perfect spot after the deal.
To conclude, this trade is a starting point. A good starting point, but this could neither be the final deal nor the only trade made by any squad involved.
Grade: C