The Cavaliers are going to have to make some uncomfortable financial choices at some point, but Jarrett Allen should not be the one they cut loose.
With the second apron looming, Cleveland will eventually need to trim salary, and Allen’s $28 million salary next season has put him in the trade conversation. But that idea doesn’t hold up when you look at what he actually brings. He’s too productive, too important to the way the Cavaliers play, and on too strong of a contract for the kind of player he is.
Allen’s value shows up every night in the way Cleveland wants to operate. When he’s on the floor, the Cavaliers are simply better. He fits as the full-time center and gives them exactly what a high-level role player should give a contender.
The numbers back that up, too. Among the Cavaliers’ best lineups last season, Allen keeps popping up alongside Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. In three-man combinations featuring those three, Allen is a constant presence near the top.
The best net rating comes with Mitchell and Allen sharing the floor while Mobley sits, at +14.3. The next-best group is all three together at +8.4. After that comes Allen and Mobley with Mitchell off, which is also +8.4.
The two worst combinations are Allen on the floor without either of the other two, and then all three off entirely. But the bigger point is clear: if Allen is out there with at least one of Mitchell or Mobley, Cleveland is in one of its strongest spots.
Even if the Cavaliers wanted to swap Mitchell for James Harden in that discussion, the answer stays the same. Lineups with Allen are Cleveland’s best option on both ends of the floor.
That’s why moving him just to clear money feels like the wrong answer. On paper, it may look neat to use Mobley at center and shave salary. In practice, Allen’s impact is too valuable to give up.
If Cleveland needs to shift money around, it should look elsewhere. Allen is making the right kind of money for the production he provides, and that makes him the wrong player to target in a cost-cutting move.
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