The Los Angeles Lakers have a need for a standout center to pair next to All-Star power forward Anthony Davis in their frontcourt, and a recent mock trade gives them just the player that could check all of their boxes.
Lakers offer haul to Cavs for former All-Star Jarrett Allen in recent mock trade
Michael Pina of The Ringer concocted a proposed deal that has the Lakers sending D’Angelo Russell, Christian Wood, two future first-round picks, and either Dalton Knecht or Rui Hachimura to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for their former All-Star center Jarrett Allen. Pina justified the trade idea by saying this (h/t Heavy Sports’ Collin Loring):
“Spacing issues aside, if the Lakers do this they would immediately boast one of the two or three most menacing defenses in the Western Conference,” Pina wrote on October 21. “Allen is a mobile big who can switch along the perimeter and quickly slide from the weakside to contest shots at the rim.”
Allen is a great scoring rim protector for the Lakers to monitor
Allen would be a great complement to Davis in L.A. The Texas native has a strong claim for being the NBA’s best rim protector. Not only does he effectively block shots with 1.3 career blocks per game, but he also plays with model discipline and fundamentals, staying low to the ground when defending smaller guards outside and off of switches in the pick-and-roll and denying everything from floaters to poster dunks at the basket.
Given that Davis wants to play the four most of the time, the Lakers would greatly benefit from bringing in a defensive stalwart like Allen who can help strengthen them on that side of the floor while also offering them reliable offense, usually being good for around 16 points a night. The Lakers don’t have a post presence outside of Davis. The former No. 22 overall pick could supplement Los Angeles’ offense with his sound jump hook down low and ability to knock down threes on the perimeter.
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The Lakers may have the flexibility to send multiple key pieces to the Cavs for Allen
It may seem as if the Lakers would be paying a hefty price to acquire Allen. Nevertheless, Russell could thrive in a larger playmaking role in Cleveland while seeing their offense run through him, while Wood has the potential to be a double-double contributor in the league but has a crowded frontcourt rotation to contend with in L.A.
If the Lakers were to decide that Allen could get them over the hump, they’d still have a lineup capable of winning it all. Their starting lineup would look something like Gabe Vincent, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Davis, and Allen with a stout bench including Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Max Christie.
