NBA Rumors: Cavaliers May Add Tony Allen Or Josh McRoberts To Fill Roster, Sam Amico Says
The Cleveland Cavaliers are ready to regain their season after blockbuster deals that sent them George Hill, Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr. during the recent NBA trade deadline. The team has been 2-for-2 so far with the new guys, and LeBron James and company are looking lively once again after a lackluster first half of the season.
However, with the Cavaliers trading six players in exchange for only four, their roster went down from 15 players to only 13. According to league rules, teams are only allowed to have less than 14 players for two weeks or else face a significant penalty. That two weeks will be on Thursday for Cleveland, and so rumors abound that the club will sign a new player soon.
The Cavs are not the only ones in the same situation, though, with the Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards also having less than 14 guys at the moment. The Portland Trail Blazers was included in the list until they signed veteran guard Brandon Rush to a 10-day contract on Tuesday.
There were rumors that Cleveland might just opt to take in a G League player for a 10-day deal just to give them more time to acquire someone who they really want when more of the buyouts arrive. It should be the more realistic scenario at this point, but Sam Amico of Amico Hoops suggested two free agents, Tony Allen and Josh McRoberts, as potential signings for the Cavs.
Allen, who turned 36 last month, was traded to the Chicago Bulls from the New Orleans Pelicans earlier this month in the Nikola Mirotic deal. The three-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member did not appear for the Bulls as he was waived just eight days later.
Allen, who was a member of the 2008 NBA champion team Boston Celtics with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo, played 22 games for the Pelicans this season. He averaged career-lows of 4.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, 0.4 assists, and 0.5 steals in only 12.4 minutes per game.
Meanwhile, the 30-year-old McRoberts played only two games for the Dallas Mavericks this season because of a left foot injury. He was traded by the Miami Heat to Dallas last summer along with a 2023 second-rounder and cash considerations for A.J. Hammons.
McRoberts is a dependable big man substitute when healthy and if given the playing time that he needed. His best season was with the then Charlotte Bobcats in 2012-2013 when he averaged 9.3 points, 7.2 boards, and 2.7 assists in 30.8 minutes a night.
