Earlier this week it was reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers may have been open to trading star center Jarrett Allen if the price was right. This led a few teams to call Cleveland to ask about Allen who underperformed in the 2023 playoffs. The Cavaliers would have to be blown away by an offer to trade Allen. It seems like teams are not willing to give up a lot of Allen though.
Is Allen Staying In CLE?
According to CavaliersNation.com, “While the Cavs reportedly have discussed some potential trades focused on center Jarrett Allen, those talks have seemingly cooled lately, sources told Hoops Wire.” The Cleveland Cavaliers have made a few key free-agent signings so far and it seems like this team might have fixed their weakness. With Max Strus and Caris LeVert Cleveland now has the shooting they lacked last season. Garland and Mitchell finally have teammates to pass it to outside the three-point line when they drive.
Another key signing for the Cleveland Cavaliers was Georges Niang. Niang is an elite three-point shooter who can play the forward. He shot 40.1% from three last season in Philly. These pieces are important to Cleveland’s success but not as important as their starting frontcourt. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen set the pace for the whole team. That tough Cleveland defense starts in the frontcourt.
Jarrett Allen averaged 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 block per game last season. Allen’s presence alone deters opposing teams from driving into the paint. The duo of Allen and Mobley led one of the NBA’s best defenses last season. Splitting them up after one bad playoff series would not be wise. Despite the tough loss hopefully, this young Cavaliers team can use it as fuel to come back stronger next season and compete for real.
CLE Has A Bright Future
This Cavs team is still very young. With these moves, they may have solidified the opening of their championship window. With Donovan Mitchell leading the charge the Cleveland Cavaliers could do something special! Even though an Allen trade coil still happens it seems very unlikely. The Cavs are hoping that their core of Mitchell, Garland, Movley, and Allen is good enough to compete for a championship in the 2023-24 season. It will be very interesting to see if the Cavs make any other moves in free agency or via the trade. Only time will tell as we are all waiting to see what Cleveland does next.
Image Credits: YouTube.com/ClevelandCavaliers.
