The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a number of high level centers throughout NBA history. Brad Daugherty, Hot Rod Williams, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varajao and Kevin Love have all excelled while locking down the anchor for the Cavs on one end of the court or the other.
This summer the Cavaliers had to decide how to handle the position. Both of their centers, Jarrett Allen and Isaiah Hartenstein were free agents. After drafting big man Evan Mobley, the team had even more pressure to properly evaluate the center market.
Jarrett Allen is inking a new $100 million contract. To evaluate this deal we have to know where Allen stands among the league’s centers.
$100 million is a lot of money for a player, but especially so for a center. The contract will pay Allen an average of $20 million over each of the next five summers. That immediately places Allen in a tie for seventh among all centers in average annual value (AAV).
Is that the right amount of money for Allen? Just 23 years old, the former Texas center should improve. Factors such as Allen’s fit on the team and the Cavs’ other opportunities are a part of evaluating the deal, but the Cavaliers also have to look at the league around them.
Where does Allen rank among the league’s centers? Ranking seventh among center salaries is one thing for a Top 10 center, and another altogether for the 25th-best. Breaking the league’s pivots into tiers, let’s find where Allen falls and what it means for the contract he just signed.