Grade the Trade: Jarrett Allen joins former West rival in bold mock trade

In his most recent press conference, Koby Altman declared that he doesn't see a reason to split up the Cavaliers Core Four of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen.

However, there is a good chance that Altman is just saying this to make all of the Cavalier stars feel wanted and happy in case they cannot find any trade partners. Additionally, publicly stating core players are viewed as highly valuable to the team keeps their trade value high rather than entering the offseason as a desperate seller. Ultimately there is a good chance that the Cavs front office makes some bigger moves this offseason based on what the playoffs showed and recent reports about Darius Garland.

The Cavaliers should sell high on Jarrett Allen

There have been questions about the fit of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley since the Cavaliers' last playoff appearance in 2023. Statistics further the argument to divorce the frontcourt. In the 2024 playoffs, the Cavaliers' best lineups did not include Jarrett Allen. Between the two lineups that played at least 50 minutes together, it was Garland, Mitchell, Strus, Okoro and Mobley who had the better net rating of -4.7. While, the lineup of Garland, Mitchell, Strus, Mobley and Allen had a net rating of -10.8.

In the regular season, the two big men also had more success when split up. Of the four lineups that played at least 100 minutes together, the best lineup included just Mobley (LeVert, Niang, Garland, Okoro, and Mobley) at +23.1. The second-best lineup included just Jarrett Allen (Mitchell, Allen, Strus, Wade, and Okoro) at +19.6. Both of these lineups had a lot more success than the Cavaliers starting lineup which produced a net rating of +1.4.

Perhaps the biggest sign to move on from Jarrett Allen was the impact his departure from the playoffs had on the Cavs' two most important players. Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley are the two most valued and important players in the Cavaliers' future, and they both seemed more productive and comfortable after Allen's injury.

Donovan's scoring went up by a large margin, and creating offense looked much easier for him with the increased spacing of only playing one big man. Evan Mobley was able to be the main rim protector on defense and had more space to work with on the offensive end, which improved his game. Mobley is best with space and room to work. Mobley is not a typical back-to-the-basket big man, he is most efficient with 4 perimeter players around him.

The Cavaliers must construct their starting lineup around their two highest potential players. The duo of Mitchell and Mobley shows signs of becoming an elite combination in the league, but it cannot happen with a poor match in the frontcourt.