After the Golden State Warriors were eliminated from the 2025 NBA playoffs, head coach Steve Kerr made it clear that the team’s No. 1 offseason priority was to add a true center, thereby allowing Draymond Green to return to his natural role of power forward.
Ever since Kerr made those comments, the Warriors have been linked with numerous centers, specifically veteran big man Al Horford. However, ESPN’s Marc Spears reported that Horford had yet to make up his mind on joining the Warriors, and was considering retirement as of the second week of July.
Fadeaway World proposed a Warriors trade that would help the team pivot from Horford and instead add the younger Jarrett Allen, a former 1-time All-Star.
Warriors would receive: Jarrett Allen
Cavaliers would receive: Moses Moody, Gui Santos, 2028 first-round pick
How Proposed Warriors Trade Helps…
The proposed trade would allow the Warriors to add a long-term center. Allen, 27, has progressively improved every season in the NBA, and could potentially reach a new level playing next to the likes of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Green.
“It’s a deal that reflects the Warriors’ shifting priorities,” read the article. “Horford, at 39, would’ve been a short-term veteran solution, likely a stopgap for a year or two. Allen, at 27, offers longevity and interior defense, but at the cost of future cap space.
“If Golden State believes Allen can be a core piece in their post-Splash Brothers era, this trade may be the smarter play.”
Allen averaged 13.5 points, 9.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in his fifth season with the Cavaliers. The Texas alum has averaged 12.8 points and 9.2 rebounds through eight seasons in the NBA.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers, the team with the highest payroll entering the 2026-27 season, can shed some salary off their books and play Evan Mobley at the five spot.
“The Cavaliers are currently facing significant financial pressure. With Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen all on major deals (or set to be), Cleveland is tiptoeing around the punitive second apron introduced in the latest CBA,” read the article.
Draymond Can’t Keep Playing Center
Be it Allen or Horford, the Warriors desperately need a new center. In the five-game series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Green started at the five, a ploy that didn’t work against a team that relentlessly attacked the paint. Green, an exceptional weakside defender, often covers for his teammates’ lapses. However, he could not double up as a rim protector in the playoffs, leading to Golden State’s demise.
That’s precisely why Kerr felt it was unfair on Green to play the five spot, a sentiment that the latter felt grateful for after the playoffs.
“As far as what Steve said, God bless his heart,” Green said in response to Kerr’s comments, via NBC Sports Bay Area.
“It was real because playing the 5, it’s hard. And I’m always down to do it, as you know, like any challenge you throw my way, I’ll take on the challenge, but it’s hard battling every night guys who outweigh me by 60 to 80 pounds, and they’re four inches or five inches, seven inches taller than me. It does take a toll.”
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