Cavaliers: Donovan Mitchell wants to keep core teammate out of trade talks

Since their season ended against the Boston Celtics about a month ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been at the center of offseason trade rumors, specifically with their core four of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

Rumors ran rampant about how those young players fit together and that the Cavs would evaluate the fit between the four players.

However, President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman poured cold water on all those rumors in his end of season press conference. Altman expressed that he doesn’t feel the need to break up the team’s core four and believes that they need a new coach that can maximize their fit. 

The most talked about trade candidate of the core is Allen. While he turned in the best season of his career this year, Allen’s fit with Mobley has come into question. They are both non shooting bigs that can clog up the offense at times, which can negate the elite defensive impact the two have on the court together.

With Cleveland readying themselves to offer Mobley a max extension in July and ready to make him the focal point of the team’s frontcourt, the Allen rumors have only escalated despite Altman’s comments. A recent report from Marc Stein though suggests that the team might keep Allen because of what he means to Donovan Mitchell.

"One reason I’ve heard for the Cavaliers’ reported reluctance to trade Jarrett Allen despite ongoing questions about Allen’s fit in the same frontcourt alongside the emerging Evan Mobley: Donovan Mitchell is often described as an Allen fan who doesn’t want to lose him as a teammate."

- Marc Stein

Mitchell’s future is the most important thing to the Cavs right now, and doing what makes him happy has been the focus of the franchise. This is not all that surprising given an earlier report from Brian Windhorst saying that Mitchell has the most power of any player in the league.

Keeping Allen would not be the worst thing for Cleveland. He set a franchise record for most consecutive double doubles this season (17) and was tenth among big men in the NBA in total double doubles (44).

Allen also averaged a career high in points and assists this season and was dominant in his four playoff games as well, averaging 17 points and 14 rebounds against the Orlando Magic before going down with a pierced rib injury.  Allen’s toughness was a question among the players in the locker room, as he reportedly refused an injection to his ribs to numb the pain and play through it. 

There is no denying that the Cavs are better with Allen on the court, and he showed his value this past season when Mobley missed time due to a knee injury. In 19 games from December 16 to January 29, 2024, Allen averaged 18 points, 13 rebounds and four assists, becoming one of the NBA’s most dominant centers in that stretch.

He also has been a positive influence on the Cavs and was nominated as teammate of the year. He has been a tremendous leader for the team and their defensive anchor as well. He and Mobley have been a huge reason why the Cavaliers have been among the NBA’s best defenses for the past three seasons. 

If Mitchell doesn’t want to lose him as a teammate, then the Cavs will likely comply given the fact that he is their franchise player. In addition to that, maybe a new offensive minded coach like James Borrego or Kenny Atkinson, can figure out a way to make the Mobley-Allen pairing work offensively. Atkinson specifically could help in that regard, given he was Allen’s coach in Brooklyn.

This offseason is extremely important for the Cleveland Cavaliers as they try to reach the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference next season. Whether they keep their core four together or not, the goal should not change. Keeping Allen definitely has its pros and cons, but if a new coach can unlock this team offensively, it may not matter.