The Cleveland Cavs have made their position pretty clear: the future is now, and the 2026-27 roster is the target. But even with that long view in place, Jarrett Allen still looms as the one starter who could get moved if this season doesn’t line up the way Cleveland wants.
That commitment showed up in what the Cavs chose not to do this summer. Rather than chase All-Star names like LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cleveland doubled down on Evan Mobley. That decision, paired with the move to build around the current core, sent a strong message about where the organization is headed.
The Peyton Watson trade with the Denver Nuggets and the three-year extension for James Harden only reinforced that direction. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, speaking on The Hoop Collective podcast, said the Harden deal was tied directly to the Watson move and the bigger plan around the roster.
“All in on the roster, but also, as you’re looking at the Peyton Watson deal, Harden’s deal is directly tied into that,” McMenamin said. “Why did Harden get three guaranteed years? Cause of his willingness to wait and play ball with the front office to allow them to pull off the Peyton Watson deal.
“I think the only wiggle room here is if they feel like their ceiling isn’t high enough, I think it’s to explore Jarrett Allen deals in the market. I just don’t see other wiggle room, given the lack of picks.”
Allen could also bring back a meaningful return if Cleveland decides the season is going off track. Brian Windhorst said Allen would be a strong trade chip, but that moving him would require a real shift in how the Cavs use Mobley.
“Jarrett Allen would be a reasonably valuable big if they made him available,” Windhorst said. “To trade him, they would need to be ready for Evan Mobley to play center most of the time. And they haven’t clearly been ready to do that.”
Cleveland president of basketball operations Koby Altman has shown before that he’s willing to keep adjusting midstream. Bobby Marks pointed to that history, along with the way the roster has already been reshaped in recent moves, as a reason Allen could eventually become the next name on the board.
“Koby’s done a good job of shuffling the deck,” ESPN’s Bobby Marks noted. “When something doesn’t work, you go out and get De’Andre Hunter, or you flip Hunter for Schroeder and Ellis.
You’ve done a lot of these moves. What happens is that eventually, as you said, Jarrett Allen will be your next trade candidate because you don’t have those Max Strus contracts anymore.
“You still have Sam Merrill. Eventually, you might have to pay Jaylon Tyson here. So, your next move might have to be one of the guys in your starting 5.”
Allen is now in the first season of a three-year, $90.7 million extension.
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Allen has long been most effective when he is more than just a rim-running presence, and last season offered another reminder of how valuable he can be when the ball finds him in better spots. The challenge now is making sure the Cavaliers do not crowd him out as they chase more versatility elsewhere, which leaves plenty of room for lineup tinkering and a few decisions that could shape how secure his role feels once the real games start. [Read more 🡒]