Trade No. 1: Jarrett Allen for Trey Murphy, Kira Lewis Jr.
Heading into free agency, it was rumored that the New Orleans Pelicans had called about Jarrett Allen, looking for a defensive upgrade on Jonas Valanciunas to protect the rim behind Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum. The San Antonio Spurs were rumored to be interested in Valanciunas as a starting center alongside Victor Wembanyama for a year or two at least.
That’s where we came up with a three-team trade to meet everyone’s needs. The Pelicans would add Allen, the Spurs would get Valanciunas and Ricky Rubio, and the Cavaliers would add Zach Collins, Kira Lewis Jr., Dyson Daniels and the true gem of the deal, Trey Murphy III.
The Pelicans are very high on their young players, so this level of return for Allen may be off the table, but they are a team likely feeling some pressure to win now. Allen would give them a long-term defensive anchor. The Spurs would get a veteran point guard and a starting center, the perfect pieces to bring Wembanyama along.
The Cavs? They would ease off the throttle a bit by adding three youngsters, but they would all be potential rotation pieces down the line — and Murphy III would likely start from the jump. He looks like a future fringe All-Star with his scoring, shooting and defense. Daniels is a defensive ace who will be truly dangerous if his shot comes around. Lewis is worth a flier as a backup point guard with zip. Collins is an excellent fill-in center to either start or back up Mobley.
This is the best version of a deal likely out there for Allen, where the Cavs add a young forward to groom into a starting role. Trey Murphy would be a long-term starter who better balances their lineup. This would be a slam-dunk of a trade for Cleveland.