The Cleveland Cavaliers will eventually have to make some tough decisions. With the second apron breathing down their necks, they’ll have to shed some salary. One of the trade candidate options being thrown around is Jarrett Allen, who is set to make $28 million next season. But that’s a bad idea. He’s too good a player and on too good a contract. Cleveland should not trade him.
Allen’s presence as the Cavaliers’ full-time center is crucial to what they want to do on a night-to-night basis. When he’s on the court, good things happen for the Cavaliers. And he’s making the right amount of money for a high-level role player, which is exactly what Allen is.
For the Cavaliers, shedding money will be necessary in the next few years. But trading a guy who contributes to winning at a high level and is on a solid contract for his value should not be the solution.
Cavaliers should not trade Jarrett Allen
When you take a look at some of the Cavaliers’ best lineups from last season, there’s a consistent face in the mix. It’s Allen. He’s been a driving force of the Cavaliers' success on the court.
Taking a look at three-man lineups that involve Allen, Donovan Mitchell, and Evan Mobley – the Cavaliers’ top players (not counting James Harden) – Allen is a constant in the top lineups.
The best lineup in terms of net rating is with Mitchell and Allen on the court and Mobley off. That has a net rating of +14.3. The next-best is all three of them on the court at +8.4. After that? Allen and Mobley with Mitchell off, which is +8.4 as well.
Allen on without the other two and all three off the court are the worst two of all possible combinations. However, having Allen on with at least one of those two guys is by far the Cavaliers’ best option.
Even if you wanted to replace Mitchell with Harden, it’s the same situation. Lineups that have Allen on the court are the Cavaliers’ best option on both ends of the floor.
So, why trade him? On paper, shedding his salary and using Mobley as center seems like a good option. But in reality, Allen’s on-court impact is too important to trade.
He’s making solid money for a guy who produces as much as he does, and rather than moving on from him, the Cavaliers should try to shift around other money.
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