Cavaliers News: LeBron Trade, Best of France, Rubio retires, Allen dominates

Ricky Rubio retires

Last week the news broke that Ricky Rubio and the Cleveland Cavaliers were agreeing to a contract buyout. This was not a surprise; Rubio had been away from the team since the offseason, and it became increasingly likely he would not be rejoining the team. Thursday the news became official, with the two sides agreeing to a buyout amount and then Ricky Rubio announcing his retirement from the NBA.

As part of the buyout agreement, Rubio gave back just under $5 million across the remaining two seasons on his contract. Per Bobby Marks, that includes $3.7 million this season and $1.3 million for next year. The Cavs are now $3.2 million below the luxury tax this season, giving them room to take on salary in a trade and/or sign two-way rookie Craig Porter Jr. to a full NBA contract.

Jarrett Allen dominates

Jarrett Allen did not have a great end to last season. He began to fade in the Cavaliers' calculus on both ends as Evan Mobley came on late, then was knocked around in the playoffs by the New York Knicks. His late start to this season due to injury didn't help matter.

In the last few weeks, however, Allen has absolutely exploded back into the two-way force he was during his All-Star campaign two seasons ago; honestly, his improved passing likely makes this the best stretch of his career.

Over his last three games Allen put up 58 points, shooting 64 percent from the field and 92 percent from the stripe. He has 47 rebounds, second-most in the league in that span, to go with 12 assists, three steals and four blocks -- and just five total fouls. There is a lot of competition to make the All-Star Game this season, but Allen is squarely in the conversation now.