The Cleveland Cavaliers are a young team, with their four core players still only 25 years old and younger and under contract for at least the next two seasons. They don’t have to make any sweeping changes this offseason after losing in ignominious fashion in the playoffs. They could stay the court, tinker at the edges and run it back.
Many of the trade ideas tossed out have focused on the Cavaliers turning Jarrett Allen into older, win-now players, be that a different look at center or turning Allen into two different rotation players. They could even try to flip Allen for an older established star to add to the frontcourt.
Could the Cavaliers trade Jarrett Allen and not get older?
What if there was another path forward? Longtime NBA media personality Bill Simmons recently tossed out a potential trade involving Allen that would allow the Cavs to stay young, to keep their core under contract, and potentially be enough of an upgrade to help Cleveland take the next step.
The trade would be with the Phoenix Suns, who have certainly been at the center of the NBA world after trading for Bradley Beal just months after adding Kevin Durant. Could they make another big trade? It’s certainly on the table for this team with its aggressive new owner in Matt Ishbia.
There is a history of trades between these two franchises, going all the way back to when Cleveland sent Kevin Johnson to the Suns in exchange for Larry Nance Sr. Could the two teams unite once again to work out a deal? Let’s take a closer look and evaluate the trade from both sides.