As a team expected to improve after a disastrous 2022-23 season, the Charlotte Hornets are in a position to be more competitive this year. There is an area on the roster that is still relatively unknown and could use a reinforcement or two. That would be the center position.
The Hornets have Mark Williams and Nick Richards as their primary big men, but with 176 career games (27 starts) between them, some help may be needed to bolster this area of the roster. One potential option for the Hornets? Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen.
Allen has been named almost continuously this entire offseason as someone that Cleveland could move, and for good reason. First off, the veteran center did not have his best series against the Knicks in the playoffs. There is also the aspect of opening up the floor for the Cavaliers, as the starting combo of Allen and Evan Mobley can lead an excess of defenders in the paint. Moving Allen would make things easier for the Cavs’ offense to be more open and ultimately more dangerous. Cleveland has not expressed any interest in moving him up to this point, but maybe they are just waiting for the right deal to be proposed to entertain trade talks about Allen.
Charlotte should approach Cleveland with the intention of helping out with their spacing issues while the Hornets can solidify the center position. Perhaps a deal involving a player that the Cavs have shown interest in could get things done. Either way, there are plenty of reasons why trading for Allen makes sense for the Hornets.