Cavs trade tiers: Which players and picks are untouchable?

Cavs trade tiers: Only in a blockbuster

Jarrett Allen, Collin Sexton

Jarrett Allen also made his first All-Star team this past season, proving himself in a larger role as one of the best big men in the league. Defensively he was a force in the paint, deterring opponents and smoothly pairing with Evan Mobley to destroy opponents inside the arc. On offense he not only was an elite lob threat, he flashed a series of floaters and post moves to allow him to finish plays in a myriad of ways.

That doesn’t mean he is untouchable, however, in large part because he is locked in at center, the league’s most replaceable position. As Mobley develops his frame he will be able to play more at the 5; a scenario where a truly top-flight wing comes available and the Cavs can flip Allen to bring them in has to be considered. That drops Allen down just a bit into Tier 2.

The hardest player to place on the roster was Collin Sexton, who technically is not even under contract this summer as he hits restricted free agency. On the one hand, the team was uncomfortable paying him a lucrative salary last fall, and the time since has only decreased his value as Darius Garland took off and Sexton played just 11 games due to a knee injury.

Yet Sexton averaged 24.3 points per game as recently as 2020-21, and no matter what the context scoring is valuable in this league. That may lead the Cavs to overvalue bringing back / keeping Sexton. Yet it also means that Sexton will likely command a substantial salary on the open market in a sign-and-trade. If another team wants to trade for Sexton the cost involved in matching his salary almost certainly will mean a significant deal is going down.