Jeff Teague: Cavs would reject LeBron and Bronny for Allen and Hunter

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers are two highly talented teams that are making headlines for their current struggles. Cleveland has looked like a shell of the squad that won 64 games last season and is barely above .500 at 17-15, while Los Angeles has lost every one of its last three contests amid some defensive woes.

So, on a podcast featuring former NBA player Jeff Teague, a blockbuster hypothetical trade involving the two teams was floated. The hypothetical trade involves forward LeBron James and his son Bronny heading to Cleveland in exchange for big man Jarrett Allen and forward De’Andre Hunter. But Teague thinks the Cavaliers ultimately wouldn’t accept such a deal.

“The Cavs gonna say hell naw,” Teague said.

It’s worth noting that the exact trade scenario detailed on the podcast can’t actually happen because of trade restrictions the Cavs are facing.

But if Cleveland could orchestrate the trade or some version of it, the deal would reunite the franchise with someone who’s already a Cavaliers legend in the elder James. He spent much of his NBA career with Cleveland across two stints and helped the team to its first-ever title in 2016.

Nostalgia factor aside, the elder James is still a great player who would bring a lot to the table for the Cavaliers on the court, and his championship experience could prove to be just what the doctor ordered for them to shake their playoff demons of recent years.

But at the same time, there are still reasons why the Cavaliers would perhaps opt not to participate in such a player swap.

Namely, Allen and Hunter are above-average talents at their respective positions who seemingly have a whole lot more basketball left in the tank than the elder James does. Allen is 27 while Hunter just recently turned 28. The elder James is the NBA’s oldest active player and days away from his 41st birthday.

For as incredible of a story as it would be if the Cavaliers traded for the elder James, doing so would put immense pressure on them to win in the here and now while placing hopes of future success in jeopardy. Once the elder James retires from the league (which could be sooner rather than later), the Cavaliers would maybe have to deal with a real talent deficit.