Kofi Inkoom
It’s evident that the Oklahoma City Thunder need to bolster their lineup with a big man for better championship prospects, ideally for next season, while still aiming to compete for the championship this season with their young core.
Currently trailing 3-2 against the Dallas Mavericks, their immediate focus is on securing a win to advance to the WCF finals. There are rumors circulating that Cleveland Cavaliers center, Jarrett Allen, could be departing the team this season. Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, some team members were upset with Allen for not taking injections to numb his rib injury and play in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics, which contributed to their overall loss.
According to Evan Dammarell of Right Down Euclid, the Sacramento Kings, OKC Thunder, and New Orleans Pelicans are expected to express interest in Allen.
“The general vibe across the league, according to sources, is that Allen and Garland are the two who could become available for the right price if Mitchell re-signs with the Cavaliers,” Evan wrote. “While Allen has been linked to the New Orleans Pelicans for quite a while now, sources tell Right Down Euclid that the Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings could be interested in the former All-Star,” he added.
Allen’s potential fit with Oklahoma City is promising. He could complement Chet Holmgren and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander well, possibly prompting the Thunder to move Holmgren to the power forward position full-time.
Additionally, the Thunder struggled with rebounding during the regular season, averaging just 42 rebounds per game, the fourth-worst in the NBA. Acquiring Allen, a top-tier rebounder, would significantly improve their performance on the boards.
Despite missing the entire playoffs against the Boston Celtics (8 games in the overall playoffs), Jarrett Allen had impressive regular season averages of 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game, shooting an impressive 63.4% from the field across 77 games.
Entering the final year of his contract, Allen is set to earn $20 million next season, boasting career averages of 12.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.3 blocks with both the Nets and the Cavaliers.