Jarrett Allen to the Hornets? Hypothetical trade makes sense, but not realistic

Charlotte isn't in the business of making a splashy move, at least not right now.

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It's that time of year when hypothetical trades get thrown around as teams gear up for the start of a new NBA season.

Every now and then, big trades will go down early in the year but it's more about looking at each team's situation and projecting what players could be on the move later on in the season and who may be willing to pursue a big trade piece.

Andy Bailey of the Bleacher Report recently did an article finding one ambitious trade target for every team in the NBA and for the Charlotte Hornets, that player was Cleveland Cavaliers center, Jarrett Allen.

Bailey's thoughts on Allen to Charlotte

"The sort-of cookie cutter alignment of a "Big Three" is a high-end creator, three-and-D-plus wing and a big man who can either shoot, do some playmaking or impact his offense as a rim-runner.

"In other words, a guard, a wing and a center.

"The Charlotte Hornets look to have two of those boxes checked for the foreseeable future with LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. On the increasingly rare nights when he's available, Mark Williams looks like the kind of big who can round out that trio.

"But injuries are a concern for him. And Charlotte could speed up its timeline a bit by replacing him with a center who can make an impact right away. The Cleveland Cavaliers potentially have that player, assuming they come out of the gates slowly and are looking to break up the spatially challenged Jarrett Allen-Evan Mobley frontcourt."

Does Allen to Charlotte make sense?

If we're talking pure fit, yes. Allen not only gives you a boost from the center spot offensively but defensively as well. Mark Williams entered the league as a defensive-first player, but for a variety of reasons, he hasn't played up to expectations on that end of the floor. At least not consistently.

Williams' back issue doesn't appear to be a concern for him or the Hornets anymore, but it's going to be something they monitor very closely. Bigs and bad backs don't go well together. Allen has been pretty durable throughout his NBA career playing 70+ games in four out of his seven seasons and 56 or more games every season.

But as I've mentioned before, the Hornets aren't all that interested in making a big move like this anytime soon. Jeff Peterson knows this team is still quite a ways away from truly contending in the Eastern Conference and making a trade for Allen now or this season is putting the cart in front of the horse.

If Charlotte drops out of the lottery this season, they will send their 2025 first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs. In a year with a ton of talent set to enter the league, I'm not sure the Hornets are going to be all that eager to make a splashy move.

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