Revisiting the Jarrett Allen trade

Cavs news and links for Friday, August 23.

We’re just a few hours away from the weekend. Here’s your Cleveland Cavaliers news and links of the day.

The first sip

The Jarrett Allen trade in 2021 was the inflection point of this era of Cavaliers basketball. Every successful rebuild needs luck and shrewd moves that help propel them to the next level. That trade for Allen was a combination of both.

The Brooklyn Nets wanted James Harden. That naturally meant a package sending away their young, promising center to do so. The hang-up for the Houston Rockets was they had Christian Wood who they felt was their center of the future. Wood was in the midst of his best season and it seemed Allen’s impending restricted free agency was causing some hesitancy. This is ultimately what got Cleveland involved in the deal.

The Cavs were 43-116 in the two-and-a-half seasons before the deal. They’ve been 160-146 since. Acquiring Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley are huge reasons why, but that trade drew a clear line of demarcation. Grabbing a core piece for Donte Exum and a late first that was used on Marjon Beauchamp was the type of low-cost move that accelerates a rebuild.

Whether or not Allen fits with the Cavs’ core long-term is still an open question. Despite the recent extension, Cleveland can still deal him just before next season’s trade deadline if needed. That said, they wouldn’t have been in the position to trade for Mitchell without this team initial deal.

Random Cavalier of the Day - Johnny Newman

It didn’t take long for general manager Wayne Embry to mark his mark on the Cavs. Embry procured Brad Daugherty, Ron Harper, Mark Price, and Johnny Newman in his first NBA Draft. Newman is the least accomplished of that group, but selecting a 16-year vet with the 59th pick is about as good of an outcome as you could hope for.

Newman played two seasons with the Cavs that were 12 years apart. He averaged just five points a game in 10.7 minutes as a rookie which led to him being released from the team shortly before his second season.

The New York Knicks gave Newman a second chance shortly thereafter. He established himself as an NBA player and bounced around to four teams in a starting and bench role for over a decade. Newman ending up back with the Cavs for 1998-99 season at the age of 35.

Newman’s numbers were pretty similar during his second tour of duty in Cleveland. He averaged 6.1 points per game on 42.2% shooting in his second stint. He completed his 16-year career three seasons later with the Dallas Mavericks.

Newman was convicted of domestic assault and battery which led to a 60-day jail sentence in 2005.

WNBA schedule this weekend

• Chicago Sky vs. Connecticut Sun, Friday, 7:30 PM
• Las Vegas Aces vs. Minnesota Lynx, Friday, 9:30 PM
• Connecticut Sun vs. New York Liberty, Saturday, 7 PM
• Indiana Fever vs. Minnesota Lynx, Saturday, 8 PM
• Las Vegas Aces vs. Chicago Sky, Sunday, noon, on CBS
• Complete schedule here

Cavs news and links

• Founding Cavs owner Nick Mileti dies at age 93
• Mileti, the most energetic and imaginative promoter in Cleveland sports history
• What the Cavs are saying about the passing of former owner

Links of the day

• Devin Booker’s Olympics blueprint offer a ray of hope for the Suns
• What the Jazz can learn from the ancient Romans, Crassus, and Surenas in the Battle of Carrhae
• Why 2025-26 might be the Sixers’ best title shot
• Is Caitlin Clark the WNBA’s best rookie guard of all time?