Cavaliers enter James Harden trade, land Jarrett Allen

      The Cleveland Cavaliers often have a way of working their way into trades that you wouldn't expect them to be involved with and once again, the Cavaliers managed to wiggle their way into a major deal as Cleveland traded away injured guard Dante Exum and the first-round pick in 2022 that the Cavaliers acquired from the Milwaukee Bucks and the Cavaliers 2024 second-rounder to the Brooklyn Nets.

Coming to Cleveland will be center Jarrett Allen and forward Taurean Prince, both coming from the Nets.

The 22-year-old Allen is the prize of the deal as the 6'11 center is a consistent young big man that has averaged around eleven points and ten rebounds in the previous two seasons and thus far this season.

Allen shot 65 percent last season and is shooting 67 percent this season from the floor.

Allen also averages a block and a half a game and gives the Cavaliers a rim protector on defense that is different from what Andre Drummond brings.

Drummond is a physical banger that blocks shots with anticipation, while Allen is more of an athletic center that gets off the floor higher and faster.

Allen doesn't quite have the offensive game that Drummond has but at 22 is still capable of growth as a player so don't rule that out.

So in a nutshell, Allen's not quite at the level of Drummond right now, but he could post similar numbers eventually.

The problem with Allen is that he is a restricted free agent and while the Cavaliers will be capable of matching any offer, Cleveland may have other franchises bidding up the cost of keeping Allen in the fold.

Allen seems to fit with the Cavaliers young core and his arrival makes it very likely that the team will try to move Andre Drummond by the trade deadline in order to get something back for the soon-to-be free agent big man.

Javale McGee could be the first to leave though as McGee's early-season play has boosted his trade value to a contender looking for a big man to play fifteen minutes a night. 

I would imagine that the Cavaliers are shopping McGee already because even as injury-strapped as the Cavaliers are right now, the minutes for three centers (Drummond missed the loss to the Jazz with a sore Achilles) aren't there for all three to receive the playing time that they need.

Taurean Prince is a small forward that was selected by the Jazz (and quickly traded to the Hawks) with the 12th overall pick in 2016 out of Baylor.

Prince is a 6'7 tweener that can play either forward but is better offensively at the small forward position that he played in Atlanta.

The Nets tried to use him more at the four and his numbers dropped off in every category and only shot 37 percent from the floor with Brooklyn last season.

Brooklyn cut Prince's floortime further this season from 29 minutes last season to 18 in 2020-21 and some of this may be due to his less than average defense, so Prince will have to either improve or be covered for on the defensive end.

Second unit players are a little easier to help. so Prince will likely play more with the reserves rather than the starters.

Brooklyn signed Prince to a two-year contract for 12.2 million this year and 13 for next season, which seems to be a large overpay for a guy playing less than twenty minutes a night.

Prince will be given a chance to earn more playing time with the Cavaliers and could increase his value for a team looking to clear salary-cap space for next season.

Prince isn't a bad player, but he's a player with raw skills that hasn't progressed as a player, but he's still only 26 and it's not too late for him to develop, but for now, Prince is a player that is good in the open floor, has trouble dropping his shot and is below-average defensively at an above-average cost.

To make space for Allen and Prince, the Cavaliers released center Thon Maker and recently signed guard Yogi Ferrell.

Maker averaged 3.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in eight games for Cleveland, and I liked what I saw from him in his limited chances.

Sadly, even at 23, Maker might be a player that isn't given the chance to develop his skills and is caught in limbo- too strong for the G-League, not refined enough to play a lot in the NBA.

Farrell signed over the weekend and played in the Cavalier's losses to Memphis and Utah, scoring ten points against the Jazz and nine against the Grizzlies.

I would not be surprised to see the former Sacramento King return to Cleveland in the event of future backcourt injuries.

The New Jersey Devils drop the puck for their opener tonight, if I have time later I may do a preview of a season that should not be to the Devils' advantage.

Cavaliers obtain Javale McGee, lose Thompson

     The Cleveland Cavaliers were in need of a veteran frontcourt body that could fill-in at center behind Andre Drummond and spend some minutes at power forward as the backup behind Kevin Love after Tristan Thompson signed with the Boston Celtics over the weekend.

Cleveland attempted to fill that hole with a trade with the defending world champion Los Angeles Lakers as the Cavaliers obtained veteran big man Javale McGee to serve in that position.

The Cavaliers sent journeymen forwards Alfonso McKinnie and Jordan Bell to the Lakers for McGee and the Lakers second-round pick in the 2026 draft

McKinnie played in 40 games last season for Cleveland, averaging 4.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in playing around thirteen minutes a game, while Bell was signed after the season by the Cavaliers after splitting last year between Minnesota and Memphis averaging 3.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in over eight minutes a game.

Either or both McKinnie and Bell could be waived by the Lakers, who needed some salary-cap relief in order to sign Marc Gasol.

The Cavaliers side of the deal brings the 7'0 McGee, who averaged six points, five rebounds, and a block and a half in sixty-eight games for the Lakers averaging sixteen minutes game, to Cleveland.

The soon to be 33 years old McGee has played for six teams in his twelve-year NBA career after being selected by Washington in the first round of the 2008 draft and two years ago with the Lakers, averaging twelve points and just under six boards.

McGee will be part of the second unit, can play center or power forward depending on which of the centers/power forwards are on the court at the time between Andre Drummond, Kevin Love, and Larry Nance Jr.

McGee isn't an outside shooting big man, but he does perform well on pick and roll and shoots well from the inside.

As a solid backup or even as a complimentary starter that doesn't have too much expected of him, Javale McGee can emulate Tristan Thompson's numbers somewhat.

As for Tristan Thompson, the Cavaliers were considered the favorites to retain his services, but after the
Celtics offered a two-year contract for just under nineteen million dollars, Thompson decided to join a contender rather than the rebuilding Cavaliers.

The 29-year-old Thompson spent his entire career in Cleveland after being drafted fourth overall in the 2011 draft after playing one season at Texas.

Thompson posted career highs last season averaging twelve points and ten rebounds per game and even though his shooting percentage dipped a little, Thompson still shot .512 from the floor for the year.

Tristan Thompson removes another link to the Cavaliers' only championship season and the Cavaliers lose a player that is very popular with the fan base.

Thompson's effort was never questioned, he developed into a player that didn't try to do what his skills were incapable of, and was a solid locker room presence, despite the occasional distraction from his relationship with reality star Khloe Kardashian.

Tristan Thompson will be missed in Cleveland by fans, and he'll be missed by the media as well, but what he does best is better used by a contender than a bottom dweller.

Thompson will hit the boards, get the ball out on the break, and bang some bodies on the inside to do the dirty work that many don't like to do in the NBA.

In other words, he's exactly what a contender like the Celtics are looking for.