Bill Simmons pitches wild trade for Cavs to swap Allen for Suns star

Laying out a trade between the Cavaliers and Suns

On his podcast “The Bill Simmons Podcast” (not sure where he came up with the name) Simmons pitched a deal based primarily around the idea that the Cavaliers want to get more offensive punch from the center position, and the Suns need as much defensive impact as they can get around their three offensive stars.

This is the basic structure of what he proposed:

The theory for Phoenix is twofold. First, the Suns need all of the rim protection that they can get. Deandre Ayton is a good paint protector, but few centers combine shot-blocking with movement in space defensively as Jarrett Allen does. He would be an upgrade defensively for all but a half-dozen teams in the league if they traded for him at center.

This deal also splits Ayton into two players, with Cedi Osman a fringe rotation player in Cleveland and a player the Suns would absolutely rely on next season to fill up minutes on the wing. The Suns don’t need Ayton’s offensive shot creation with the rest of the creators on the team, so this better fit might make it worth it for Phoenix.