Cavs reportedly ‘more open to trading Allen than advertised’
Allen’s name continues to surface in trade rumors.
Senior NBA report Marc Stein has reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers are still open to trading center Jarrett Allen even though a destination of where he could land wasn’t mentioned.
“On the same subject, there have been some whispers this week that the Cavaliers are more open to trading Jarrett Allen than advertised for the obvious reasons: He appeared to struggle with the moment at various points of the Cavaliers’ five-game exit to the Knicks.”
This is not the first time this summer the former All-Star center has had his name show up in trade rumors. Earlier, it was in connection to the New Orleans Pelicans having interest in Allen’s services.
Allen rumors likely aren’t going to go away anytime soon. The Donovan Mitchell trade with the Utah Jazz last fall accelerated this team’s timeline. Mitchell having only two years left on his deal in combination with the conference being seemingly more wide open now than it’s been at any point in the last five years creates an urgency to put the best possible team on the floor for next season.
The Mitchell trade has also left Cleveland with very limited ways to upgrade the team due to the number of assets that went out in that deal. With Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley untouchable, that leaves players like Allen and to a lesser extent Isaac Okoro as the team’s best pieces to move in order for an immediate upgrade.
The quartet of Garland, Mitchell, Mobley and Allen showed that they could be a formidable group in the regular season. That however wasn’t the case in the playoffs for a variety of reasons which made it fair to question whether Allen and Mobley are the most optimal fits in a playoff setting.
Despite the rumblings, it would still be somewhat surprising if Allen was moved. The Cavs would need to receive a piece back that is a better fit that also isn’t a downgrade in terms of talent. The limited financial flexibility Cleveland is currently operating with would also make it more difficult to get a deal done.
The additions of Max Strus and Georges Niang will help a team that desperately needed more firepower from beyond the arc. That said, neither are plus athletes and were likely targeted with the idea of having a formidable defensive frontline to pair with them in some fashion.
We’ll have to wait and see if Koby Altman and company have another big move up their sleeve.