The Cleveland Cavaliers are off to an impressive 2-0 start this season, and their roster looks pretty good despite the team not making any major additions over the summer.
But could the Cavaliers still opt to make a big trade before the February deadline?
That’s certainly not outside the realm of possibility, especially if things don’t go according to plan in Cleveland.
The Ringer’s Michael Pena made a very interesting trade proposal involving the Los Angeles Lakers, where the Cavaliers would send Jarrett Allen to the Lakers in exchange for D’Angelo Russell, Christian Wood, two first-round picks, or a pick swap or Rui Hachimura and Dalton Knecht.
This would be a huge move for the Cavaliers, and it actually makes sense from a stylistic perspective.
Remember: There was widespread speculation over the offseason that Cleveland could — or should — trade Allen in order to open things up for Evan Mobley and to help free up space.
Here, the Cavaliers will get a good outside shooter in Russell, a capable big man off the bench in Wood and some very nice draft capital (plus decent young talent to boot).
Let’s say the Cavaliers plod through the regular season come winter, and the Lakers make a call and offer this trade package for Allen.
Would Cleveland really say no?
The main downside is that the Cavaliers will take a pretty big hit defensively, but the good news is that Mobley is a top-tier defender himself.
If the Cavaliers decide to move Allen at some point this season, this will be as good a return as they’re likely to get.
