The Cleveland Cavaliers have faced pressure every season to break up the core four since its inception, and signs are starting to point to that exact scenario playing out.
Cleveland stayed steadfast in their resolve to build around a group of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The lopsided nature of the core with two undersized long-range shooting guards next to two oversized interior big men was questioned immediately when Mitchell joined the Cavs via trade in 2022.
Over the years, the Cavaliers have sought out the best role players to complement the core group's talents and cover their imperfections. Finding a true 3-and-D wing was the first step. With Sam Merrill, Max Strus, De'Andre Hunter and Jaylon Tyson now on the roster, Cleveland is seemingly shifting their focus to finding the right running mate for Mobley's future.
Cavaliers insiders Chris Fedor, Jimmy Watkins and Ethan Sands dissected a lack of trust in Allen by head coach Kenny Atkinson, a drastic shift after committing a multi-year contract extension in the 2024 offseason.
Fedor and Watkins note how few minutes Allen is playing, especially in the fourth quarter. Originally billed as one of the Cavaliers' foundational players, Allen is on the sidelines during most key stretches. Currently, Allen's late-game playing time is nearly the lowest on the team at just 4.4 minutes per game. The only player with fewer minutes per fourth quarter is Thomas Bryant, a player the Cavs signed right before the season began to a one-year minimum contract.
Nae'Qwan Tomlin, one of the Cavs' two-way players, seemingly overlook Allen in Atkinson's late-game rotation, playing half of the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks in Cleveland's November 17 win.
Overall, Allen has only eclipsed 30 minutes in a game once this season, playing 30:25 in the second game of the year against the Brooklyn Nets. Atkinson has often tried to limit minutes for starters, but Allen's lack of minutes has reached his lowest minutes per game (25.8) since his rookie season.
Allen's minimized role has long been expected, especially as Mobley has taken a larger offensive role. Mobley is seeing the most minutes of his career at center, replacing Allen in many of the Cavaliers' lineups. To Allen's credit, he has yet to make any negative comments or complain to the media, but his absence on the hardwood may indicate the Cavs are ready to move on.
Atkinson's faith in Allen is diminishing every day
Jarrett Allen is a superb baksetball player by every measure. While he may not be a flamethrower from deep or a Nikola Jokic type of playmaking center, he is a solid interior presence on both ends of the floor.
Despite his talent, the Cavs are not-so-quietly moving on from Allen in favor of Mobley as a true center. Allen and Mobley are averaging just 14.5 minutes played per game together, opting more often to place another floor spacer next to Mobley down the stretch.
Fedor summed up the Cavaliers' stance on Allen painfully clear: "Jarrett Allen is a spectator in fourth quarters. That’s just gonna keep happening over and over and over again."
The Cavaliers are finally accepting a harsh truth the rest of the league has been screaming at them for years. Regardless of Allen's talent, he is a poor fit next to Mobley. The Cavs' second star's increased shooting range has not entirely alleviated a clogged paint when sharing the court with Allen. If there is no room for Allen in the final minutes of a game, then there is little room for him next to Mobley any longer.
Over the last three seasons, the Cavs have steadily increased Mobley's time at center. Last season, Mobley played the five spot 52 percent of the time, and this year his split has increased to 59 minutes as the lone big man in the lineup. If the Cavaliers are serious about maximizing Mobley's potential, it seems that Atkinson's solution has been to bench Allen for wing shooters and G League players.
As Watkins mentioned, Allen's fourth-quarter benching is smelling like a trade is inevitable. Allen is the Cavs' fifth-highest paid player at $20 million per year, but his contract will elevate to $28 million next season under his new contract. With an inflated salary cap already, the Cavaliers cannot easily justify keeping a player the coach doesn't trust in the fourth quarter for that much money.
With a $20 million salary, Allen trade targets would be unlikely to offer the Cavaliers a perfect mix of talent, but the front office may focus on fit over raw talent. Still, finding a good player who complements Mobley may be more valuable to the Cavs than sitting Allen on the bench when the game is on the line.
For the Cleveland Cavaliers, this year is as close to championship or bust as it gets without actually risking blowing up the team next offseason if they don't bring home the hardware. If the Cavs want to be serious contenders, hard decisions they have ignored for years have to be addressed. It seems the first one is whether or not Jarrett Allen is actually a core member or if he is the first to go.