NBA Draft Rumors: Mavs-Cavs trade, Nets misplaying Bridges, Lakers targets, more

NBA Draft rumors: Mavs and Cavs discussed Jarrett Allen trade

The Cleveland Cavaliers are receiving trade calls regarding All-Star center Jarrett Allen, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. While no teams have met Cleveland’s asking price yet, the Dallas Mavericks are one of the teams allegedly interested in Allen’s services.

Allen made his first All-Star appearance for the Cavs in 2022 before seeing a slight dip in production last season, which can be attributed to Evan Mobley’s increased role and the arrival of ball-dominant, score-first guard Donovan Mitchell. Allen’s true value has never been his scoring, however. He’s a monster rebounder and elite rim protector who can single-handedly alter the opposing offense’s approach on paint touches.

The Mavs’ interest in Allen makes sense. In many ways, he is Dallas’ dream center. The Mavs’ lack of size and rim protection was persistently problematic last season. The frontcourt conglomerate of Dwight Powell, Maxi Kleber, and Christian Wood simply could not deter opposing players from slicing right down the lane and finishing inside.

Dallas has Tim Hardaway Jr. who, as Fedor notes, drew interest from Cleveland at the trade deadline. With Mobley continuing to look like a future All-Star in the middle, the Cavs could look to flip Allen for some much-needed wing depth while clearing the frontcourt (and the salary books) for Mobley long term.

That said, is Hardaway plus the No. 10 pick really enough to tempt Cleveland? Clearly not. The Mavs are short on trade assets after the Kyrie Irving acquisition in February and one has to imagine other teams can outbid Dallas if Allen truly hits the market.