The Lakers are paying a high price for the Cavs' star center in the latest bold sham trade

The Los Angeles Lakers need a standout center to join All-Star power forward Anthony Davis in their frontcourt, and a recent mock trade gives them just the player who could meet all of their needs.

The Lakers are offering the Cavs the pickup of former All-Star Jarrett Allen as part of a recent mock trade

Michael Pina of The Ringer has cooked up a proposed deal that would see the Lakers send D'Angelo Russell, Christian Wood, two future first-round picks and either Dalton Knecht or Rui Hachimura to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for their former All-Star Center Jarrett send Allen. Pina justified the trading idea with the following words (Collin Loring from h/t Heavy Sports):

“Place issues aside, if the Lakers did this they would immediately have one of the two or three most threatening defenses in the Western Conference,” Pina wrote on Oct. 21. “Allen is a mobile giant who can move along the sidelines and glide quickly from the weakside to contesting at the rim.”

Allen is a great scoring rim protector that the Lakers should keep an eye on

Allen would be a great addition to Davis in LA. The Texas native has aspirations to be the best rim protector in the NBA. Not only does he block shots effectively with 1.3 career blocks per game, but he also plays with exemplary discipline and fundamentals, staying low to the floor in the pick-and-roll while defending smaller guards outside and off switches and denying floaters anything to do Poster dunks at the basket.

Given that Davis wants to play as a four-man team most of the time, the Lakers would benefit greatly from bringing in a defensive star like Allen who can strengthen them on that side of the court while also providing them with a reliable offense that typically goes for around 16 enough points per night. The Lakers have no post presence outside of Davis. The former No. 22 pick could complement Los Angeles' offense with his solid jump hook from deep and ability to knock down threes on the perimeter.

The Lakers could have the flexibility to send several key pieces to the Cavs for Allen

It seems like the Lakers will pay a steep price to acquire Allen. Nonetheless, Russell could thrive in a larger playmaking role in Cleveland as he sees the offense run through him, while Wood has the potential to be a league-leading double-double contributor but faces a crowded frontcourt rotation in LA has to fight

If the Lakers decided Allen could get them over the hump, they would still have a lineup capable of winning it all. Their starting lineup would look something like Gabe Vincent, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Davis and Allen, with a strong bench consisting of Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt and Max Christie.