Cleveland Cavaliers: Jarrett Allen trade sets up roster for the future

The Cleveland Cavaliers get another building block in Jarrett Allen

As a surprise fourth party in the blockbuster deal that sent James Harden to Brooklyn, the Cleveland Cavaliers have found their center of the future in Jarrett Allen. The acquisition of Allen has more than a few implications for the Cavs’ roster.

At just 22 years old, Allen fits perfectly into the timeline of Cleveland’s young core. The Brooklyn Nets drafted Allen in 2017 and the Cavaliers drafted Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Isaac Okoro in the subsequent three drafts. Not only is he a similar age, but Allen’s quiet demeanor and endless motor also match the personalities of his new teammates. More importantly, he’s going to be a great fit on the court.

Despite only starting five of 12 games this season, Allen has clearly been the best center in Brooklyn. The rim-protecting big man has made highlights blocking everyone, including LeBron James, since entering the league.

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In the process, Allen’s game has rounded out as well. He has become a confident rim-runner with good hands, making him a major lob threat while rolling to the basket. He’s also a great all-around defender and knows how to contest perimeter-shooting bigs.

Allen’s potential was on display in his first start of the season on Jan. 5. Matched up with Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, Allen notched 19 points, 18 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks while holding Gobert to just 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting.

The Allen trade also makes it clear that Andre Drummond, a free agent at the end of this season, is not a long term solution for the Cavs. The veteran center likely won’t be a Cavalier next season, but it remains to be seen what the team does with him.

Keeping Drummond throughout the season and letting him walk would clear $28 million of cap space, creating flexibility for the Cavs in free agency. Of course, Drummond’s contract is appealing to other teams looking to shed salary this offseason, so there’s also a chance he gets dealt midseason.

The Cavs now have a plethora of big men with Drummond, Allen, Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr., and JaVale McGee all vying for minutes. Expect the Cavs to make more moves and don’t be surprised if Allen and Larry Nance Jr. are the only two remaining at the start of next season.

Another impressive aspect of this deal is that it solidifies Cleveland’s future while also immediately making them better. The Cavaliers started hot this year at 4-2; displaying legitimate defensive prowess, transition offense, a bonafide scorer in Sexton, and a crafty distributor in Garland.

Injuries began piling up and the Cavaliers haven’t been winning at the same rate. Almost every rotation player has missed time and head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has already started a handful of different lineups.

Allen, accustomed to coming off the bench, will still make an impact even if he’s relegated to backing up Drummond throughout the year. With their injury struggles, the Cavaliers can use all the help they can get. They also haven’t been afraid to run lineups full of big men, even experimenting with lineups that feature Nance Jr., Drummond, and McGee together.

With two postseason appearances under his belt already, Allen could help the Cavs return to the playoffs this season – assuming their injury woes subside.