In the middle of the NBA Finals, it is still the Los Angeles Lakers that find themselves at the center of the league. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported this week that the Buss family has sold their majority stake to Mark Walter. For the first time in 46 years, LA will have new ownership.
The Lakers now have to shift their focus to a crucial offseason. The acquisition of Luka Doncic in February gave LA their future superstar, but it also left them with holes on their roster, specifically at center.
The Lakers’ lack of frontcourt depth showed in their first-round loss to the Timberwolves, and it is an area that they will look to address this summer. LA should look to the East for a big man that may be on his way out.
Grade the Trade: Lakers land Jarrett Allen to fix frontcourt woes
The trade sees the Cleveland Cavaliers trade away Jarrett Allen to LA for Dorian Finney-Smith and Dalton Knecht.
The Cavs had a magical regular season that saw them win 64 games, but they crashed and burned in the postseason once again, losing in the second round to the Pacers. Cleveland is reportedly not looking to blow up their roster, but the sense around the league is that they are more open to listening to offers for Allen.
Allen has been the model of consistency for the Cavs since joining them in 2021. In his four full seasons there, Cleveland has ranked inside the top ten in defensive rating in each of those years. Allen has also been a nightly double-double threat for the Cavs, averaging 15 points per game and 10 rebounds during his tenure there. He is coming off a season where he played all 82 games and led the league in field-goal percentage (70.6).
Allen’s time in the Wine and Gold may be up, especially with the emergence of Evan Mobley. Mobley is blossoming into one of the league’s best big men and the Cavs have had more success with him running the five and four shooters around him.
Allen would give the Lakers exactly what they have been missing: rim protection, rebounding, and a reliable lob threat. Doncic has been at his best when he has had a competent pick and roll partner at center. The Mavs made the Finals because of that, as they had Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively converting easy baskets that Doncic generated for them.
Jarrett Allen would be a basketball godsend to the Lakers
Allen has had immense success in this role playing alongside Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. Garland has assisted Allen more than anyone he has played with, and their synergy was a big part of Cleveland’s success.
Cleveland has had their eye on Finney-Smith for a while, and even though they improved their wing depth with De’Andre Hunter, you can never have too many wings in today’s NBA. Additionally, Finney-Smith gives the Cavs a stronger and more versatile option at the point of attack defensively and much-needed toughness on the wing as well.
He is also a marksman from three-point range, making 40% of his tries this past season. As for Knecht, he had a rocky first year with the Lakers, getting traded for Mark Williams and then coming back after the trade was rescinded. Knecht has potential as a high-level sharpshooter in the league and is just 24 years old.
This trade is more so about the Cavs giving Mobley the keys than it is about Allen’s abilities. Receiving a playoff-tested veteran in Finney-Smith and an intriguing young player in Knecht could be enough for Cleveland to move on from Allen.
As for the Lakers, they fill their frontcourt need with one of the more underrated big men in basketball. Parting with Finney-Smith would be a tough pill to swallow, but they have more of a need at center than they do on the wing.