3 Cavaliers trades to consider, and 3 that are cuckoo for cocoa puffs
It's NBA Trade season, which means the trade machines are being fired up as amateur general managers try their hand at building the perfect deal that makes every team happy. Or, if it's more fun, simply lining up the salaries for the Cleveland Cavaliers to trade role players for stars.
Given the intricacies of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and rules such as trade exceptions, poison pills and tax aprons, it can be difficult to know which trade ideas are even legal. More so, fans of the Cavaliers may not have the knowledge of all 29 other teams to know what is a fair deal that may be considered.
To that end, we're here to help sort through the trade ideas floating around the Internet and let you know which ones are realistic and worth the Cavaliers' time, and which ones are positively cuckoo for cocoa puffs.
No. 1: Jarrett Allen to the Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the biggest surprises of the season, a team that lost in the Play-In Tournament last season suddenly skyrocketing up the standings and looking like a bona fide contender. Yet as they look around them at a Western Conference that boasts players such as Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert and Anthony Davis, their relatively light big rotation (starting center Chet Holmgren is listed at just 195 pounds) could be one of their few weaknesses.
That is why they have been linked in trade rumors to Jarrett Allen. The Cavaliers aren't actively shopping Allen, but he has been on the trade block before and his offensive fit with Evan Mobley isn't getting better even as Allen is in the midst of a career year. The Thunder are absolutely flush with draft picks, potentially allowing the Cavs to restock the cupboard and then have the ammunition to pivot to other upgrades.
The Thunder could load up the picks and send Davis Bertans as the primary matching salary alongside a player like Tre Mann. They could also make Luguentz Dort the centerpiece of a trade; would Dort, Josh Giddey and a first be intriguing to the Cavaliers? The Thunder have a lot of flexibility and a lot of draft capital, giving the Cavs plenty of options in constructing a deal.
Verdict: Consider