The Cleveland Cavaliers made their big splash of the offseason in the NBA Draft, taking big man Evan Mobley with the No. 3 overall pick. Whatever the Cavs end up doing in free agency is secondary to taking what they hope and expect is the future star of the franchise.
That doesn’t mean there was nothing to do in free agency. The Cavs need to add at least one, and ideally two reserve wings to play behind Collin Sexton and Isaac Okoro. Then at center they entered free agency with both of their primary pieces no longer under contract. That made the decision on restricted free agent Jarrett Allen a top priority.
The Cavs dropped a major offer to keep Jarrett Allen around. What are the specific terms?
That prioritization led to a massive contract offer, and just minutes into free agency on Monday night the Cavaliers and Allen reportedly (and unofficially) agreed to a five-year, $100 million contract. His AAV (Average Annual Value) of $20 million immediately places him in a tie for sixth among all centers.
Restricted free agent Jarrett Allen has agreed to a five-year, $100 million deal to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 2, 2021
Was this a good signing? To evaluate that, we cannot just look to one piece of the puzzle. Instead we have to step back and take a holistic view of the situation. To that end, we will grade this move in three different areas. Was bringing back Allen a good fit for the franchise and roster? Was his contract number a good value? Finally, was there any opportunity to do something better?