Trading Jarrett Allen is on the table for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Whether or not they actually move on from him this offseason, and no matter what they say publicly, it’s almost certain that they have had internal and external discussions about the prospect of moving Allen.
The question becomes: what are they trading him for? If they are down on Allen because of his play in the postseason, do they look for an upgrade at center? Are they trying to add a high-end two-way wing? Or would they break Allen into multiple pieces in order to fill out their depth?
Over the past weeks we have discussed a number of potential trades, some suggested by NBA reporters and media, and some we created ourselves. Which deal is the best for the Cavs to consider for Allen? Let’s walk through five different deals to highlight the breadth of options available and rank them from worst to best.
Trade No. 5: Jarrett Allen for Lugentz Dort
Ryen Russilo of The Ringer pitched a trade involving Jarrett Allen that would bring back a tough, defensive wing from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Allen would head West, while Lugentz Dort would join the Cavaliers. The Thunder seem locked into playing small and not having a traditional center, but perhaps that’s just because they haven’t found the right player yet.
From Cleveland’s side, this deal makes very little sense. Yes, Dort is a talented defender and a better scoring threat than Isaac Okoro, but the Cavs don’t need non-shooting wings no matter how good their defense is. Losing an elite rim protector for a high-end perimeter defender would hurt their overall defense, and for no real offensive addition.
Trade No. 4: Jarrett Allen for DeAndre Ayton
From one Ringer employee to another, Bill Simmons had a trade pitch of his own that he pitched on a podcast. The deal leaned into Cleveland wanting more offensive impact from the center position, and the Phoenix Suns wanting to move on from the mercurial Deandre Ayton.
It was a simple challenge trade: the Cavaliers would send Allen and Cedi Osman to the Suns, and in return, Phoenix would send the former No. 1 overall pick to Cleveland. With Osman now riding bulls and remembering the Alamo in San Antonio, let’s assume the Cavs would include Dean Wade or Ricky Rubio instead.
There is some logic to such a move. If the Cavaliers are down on Allen specifically after his tough playoff series against the Knicks, but still optimistic about pairing two bigs on the frontline, Ayton is one of the few centers in the league more talented than Allen to trade him for. Ayton’s offensive game is more versatile than Allen’s, and he can serve as a tertiary offensive scoring threat while still providing a solid defensive presence.
The problem is that Allen provides much more than a solid defensive presence: he’s one of the league’s best rim protectors, with the foot speed to defend in space. Ayton is a good option one-on-one against the league’s biggest centers, but his versatility is limited and his rim protection is vanilla. Allen is truly special in those areas.
It’s a reasonable trade, with two very talented centers at the same position being swapped for one another. When you factor in Ayton’s larger contract and the positive culture fit the Cavs known Allen to be, this deal doesn’t seem worth making. If the Cavs do move on from Allen, it should probably be for a wing or forward who spaces the court and gives the Cavs a different look.
Trade No. 3: Jarrett Allen for two 3-and-D wings
The Cleveland Cavaliers entered the offseason with four surefire starters, two elite guards and two incredible defensive bigs. The hole was at small forward, and even after a busy summer the Cavs didn’t necessarily add a true 3-and-D small forward; they’ll be starting 6’5″ Max Strus at the spot.
This trade idea, pitched by the popular trade site Fanspo, would see the Cavs address that exact position. Turning Allen into two wings would give the Cavaliers five clear-cut starters who fit their positions, and would space the court around Evan Mobley in the middle. Here’s what the deal, proposed prior to the NBA Draft and free agency, would look like:
https://twitter.com/fanspo/status/1668701174038495234?s=20
A few pieces would need to be swapped around; let’s assume the Mavericks send O-Max Prosper to the Nets instead, the Nets send Dariq Whitehead to the Cavs, and it’s Dean Wade headed to Dallas. The primary components of the deal work out, which for the Cavs’ purposes means adding Royce O’Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith to the rotation.
This deal would instantly give the Cavaliers a more balanced starting lineup, with both O’Neale and Finney-Smith capable of playing the 3 or the 4. Neither are true movement shooters or absolutely elite from outside, but both are very capable shooters. On defense, O’Neale is a solid option and Finney-Smith is elite, giving the Cavs plenty of defensive versatility.
The Cavs lose out on a high-end player for two role players here, and generally, that’s the wrong direction for a team to go in a deal. The addition of Whitehead tips the scale, as he has star upside and could grow to replace one of the two forwards down the road. It’s a close one, but the Cavs should feel good about making this deal if it were on the table.
Trade No. 2: Jarrett Allen for Tari Eason
The number of trade suitors who would still be in the mix for Jarrett Allen is certainly limited. They need a hole at center, reasonable matching salary and something of value that meets the Cavaliers’ needs. After the draft and free agency, that list is shorter.
One team that may have been added to the list after free agency is Houston; the Rockets struck out on their center targets and ended up handing a large deal to reserve center Jock Landale. They are likely still looking for a long-term defensive option at the 5 to pair with the offense-oriented Alperen Sengun.
That led to us building this trade idea: the Rockets get Jarrett Allen, the Utah Jazz take on Kevin Porter Jr., and the Cavaliers get Tari Eason and Kelly Olynyk.
The Rockets do the deal because they have a glut of guards and just signed Dillon Brooks to a massive contract to start; that makes both Kevin Porter Jr. and Tari Eason expendable. They get their starting center, and the Jazz get to add a guard at the expense of their fifth-big.
The Cavaliers get a center to replace Allen for at least this season, and the jewel of the deal is Tari Eason. He looks like a special two-way player, especially after tearing up Las Vegas Summer League ahead of his second season. The pairing with Evan Mobley would be exceptional. Eason is the kind of player who is underrated enough to be available in an Allen deal, but who could be an All-Defense candidate in just a year or two.
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.