{"id":139582,"date":"2025-05-14T14:40:16","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T18:40:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=139582"},"modified":"2025-05-14T14:40:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T18:40:16","slug":"zach-lowe-lakers-cavs-jarrett-allen-trade-rumors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/14\/zach-lowe-lakers-cavs-jarrett-allen-trade-rumors\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA Insider: Lakers Should Call Cavs About Star Center"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After one of the best regular seasons in franchise history, the Cleveland Cavaliers saw their playoff run end in the second round, gentleman-swept by the Indiana Pacers. Ahead of Game 5, NBA insider Zach Lowe and The Ringer\u2019s Rob Mahoney discussed the Cavs\u2019 future, including whether teams could pounce on potential trades if Cleveland decides to blow things up. That led to Lowe suggesting the Lakers tap the Cavs for one of their key players.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>NBA Insider: Lakers Should Call Cavs About Star Center<\/b><\/h2>\n<h3><b>Lowe Urges Lakers to Check on Jarrett Allen<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Any rumblings about the Cavs will only increase after their surprising postseason exit. Lowe previously <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/JCr91apK7os?si=NaarG0LinPi5BBIC&amp;t=3799\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">said<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that should the Cavs lose in the semis, \u201cIt\u2019s going to be very tempting to start building fake <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/g\/garlada01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Darius Garland<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> trades and fake <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/allenja01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jarrett Allen<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> trades.\u201d He also mentioned the Magic and Lakers would be good suitors for those respective players.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAnd look, if I\u2019m the Lakers, I\u2019m calling about Jarrett Allen, sure,\u201d he added.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, Lowe also mentioned an important caveat: \u201cI would be very cautious, if I were the Cavs, about overreacting too much. \u2026 I would be hesitant to do something really rash with a team that won 64 games and has a lot of good stuff going for it \u2026 but I would poke around, at least.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cavs on the Ropes, Thunder and Nuggets Trade Blows, and Potential Giannis Trades With Rob Mahoney\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JCr91apK7os?start=3799&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Allen played and started in all 82 games for the first time in his career. In 28 minutes a night, the 27-year-old averaged 13.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.9 blocks per game. He also shot a <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/leagues\/NBA_2025_totals.html#totals_stats::fg_pct\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">league-best 70.6% from the field<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and hit 71% of his free-throws. In the playoffs, Allen put up 13.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.3 assists per game on 72% shooting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a post to X following the Cavs\u2019 elimination, owner <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/cavsdan\/status\/1922484108426457473\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dan Gilbert wrote<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in part: \u201cI promise you we will do everything humanly possible to address what needs to be fixed and end in a much better place next year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Could Lakers Realistically Trade for Jarrett Allen?<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Lakers\u2019 need for a center is well-documented, and Allen would certainly solve the team\u2019s lack of rim protection while being an agile lob threat for <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jamesle01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LeBron James<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/doncilu01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Luka Doncic<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/r\/reaveau01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Austin Reaves<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, fans shouldn\u2019t rush to Photoshop just yet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cleveland is coming off of their best season in the post-James era, a long way from the 19-win seasons they endured after the King\u2019s departure. As Lowe mentioned, the front office should not make rash decisions just because they bowed out early. Hanging onto the core players that got them there\u2014<\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mitchdo01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Donovan Mitchell<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mobleev01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Evan Mobley<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Garland and Allen among them\u2014is the best course of action.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But if the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/14\/cavaliers-donovan-mitchell-disappointing-playoff-exit\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cavs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ever considered breaking up that successful group, it would likely only be for <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">monetary purposes<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, getting under the <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MikeLucasTV\/status\/1922656282642616498\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">second apron<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that\u2019s plagued both title winners and contenders. Allen signed a <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.co.uk\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/40690442\/cavs-jarrett-allen-agrees-3-year-91m-max-extension\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">three-year, $91 million extension<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> last July, a deal that takes effect in 2026-27. For now, he\u2019s still making $20 million, a number the Lakers could match if they wanted to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Compared to Allen, who is under contract with Cleveland until 2029, the purple and gold have several <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/contracts\/LAL.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">expiring deals<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> they could offer in a trade. <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hachiru01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rui Hachimura<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ($18.2 million), <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/v\/vincega01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gabe Vincent<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ($11.5 million) and <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/k\/klebima01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maxi Kleber<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ($11 million) will all enter unrestricted free agency next summer, and the Lakers could package any of them in trades to address positions of need this offseason. Dangling any of those players (plus filler salary and draft capital) is a tall task for LA but not out of the realm of possibility.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>The Last Word<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s clear that trades are the best avenue toward improving the Lakers roster. With several assets at their disposal, Rob Pelinka would be wise to call the Cavs about Jarrett Allen, a defensive standout who, despite recent struggles, can raise any contender\u2019s ceiling.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After one of the best regular seasons in franchise history, the Cleveland Cavaliers saw their playoff run end in the second round, gentleman-swept by the Indiana Pacers. Ahead of Game 5, NBA insider Zach Lowe and The Ringer\u2019s Rob Mahoney discussed the Cavs\u2019 future, including whether teams could pounce on potential trades if Cleveland decides [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4265,"featured_media":139586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,9,26,62,4721],"tags":[1937,900,3966,4921,1043,38,1133,2057,1749],"class_list":["post-139582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-cavaliers","category-lakers","category-nba","category-trade-rumors","tag-darius-garland","tag-donovan-mitchell","tag-evan-mobley","tag-gabe-vincent","tag-jarrett-allen","tag-lebron-james","tag-luka-doncic","tag-maxi-kleber","tag-rui-hachimura"],"modified_by":"Jordan Pagkalinawan","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4265"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139582"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139582\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":139594,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139582\/revisions\/139594"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}