The Cleveland Cavaliers will have to clean up their financials at some point soon, and that could mean trading a guy like Jarrett Allen. But that wouldn’t be enough. Trading Allen would still leave the Cavaliers with three max contracts if they decide to extend James Harden. That’s a bad place to be, and they would have to trade more than just Allen.
Allen is slated to make $28 million next season, so trading him would definitely help the Cavaliers shed some money, but it would also hurt their roster. And if they don’t trade him, then they could run the risk of being a second-apron team in the next couple of seasons.
They’re in a brutal spot, and trading Allen can’t be the sole solution.
Cavaliers need to do more than just trade Jarrett Allen
As of now, the Cavaliers are only projected to be around $4.5 million above the second apron. So, in theory, they could duck below that line pretty easily this summer with the right moves.
However, it’s less about the immediate problem and more about the long-term issue the Cavaliers will eventually face with how expensive their entire roster is.
Donovan Mitchell’s contract is only going up. The same can be said for Evan Mobley. And if Harden demands a massive contract, that would only put the Cavaliers in an even worse position.
Trading Allen would definitely give the Cavaliers some more immediate flexibility, but it would come at the cost of roster construction and overall talent pool – not ideal.
And again, if Harden asks for a lot of money – close to a max, even – then the Cavaliers would be in a pretty untenable situation in the long run. It would be a disaster.
Just look at the two teams that made the Finals this year. The San Antonio Spurs only had one massive contract on the books. The New York Knicks have an expensive team, but Jalen Brunson took a pay cut to help them.
The last team with an extremely expensive roster to win at the highest level was the 2024 Boston Celtics, and they were forced to disband just one year later by the CBA.
Winning with three max contracts on the books is virtually impossible because you can’t build out a good team around those guys.
So, while trading Allen could help the Cavaliers a little bit, their real issue is that they have three players demanding max money. Trading Allen wouldn’t do enough to solve the greater, long-term problem.
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