The Cleveland Cavaliers were one of the teams involved in the James Harden sweepstakes Wednesday afternoon. The Cavs were one of the teams in an expanded, blockbuster deal sending Harden to the Brooklyn Nets. The Cavs will receive center Jarrett Allen and swingman Taurean Prince from the Brooklyn Nets as part of the trade.
The Cavs might have made out like bandits here, seemingly only forfeiting one first-rounder (via Milwaukee) to acquire a tremendously talented young center in Allen and a guy with decent floor-spacing capabilities in Prince.
Allen was part of Brooklyn’s two-headed monster at the center position, splitting time with DeAndre Jordan. He is averaging 11.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks through his first 12 games.
Not only will Allen immediately help Cleveland’s team defense, but he also can slide right in as Andre Drummond’s replacement when Drummond hits the free-agent market at the conclusion of the season. The 22-year-old is arguably a better individual defender and has just as high scoring and rebounding upside as Drummond.
Prince is more of an offensive-minded player who has been rather inefficient with the ball in the last couple of years. But he had the makings of a strong perimeter shooter in his years with the Atlanta Hawks and could provide a stretch-4 kind of presence for the Cavs.
Unlike the Nets, the Cavs are slowly building and stacking its assets as the franchise looks to reclaim future contender status. Acquiring a young and talented piece like Allen should absolutely be a step in the right direction.
