© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Should The Cavaliers Trade Jarrett Allen?
It appears the Cleveland Cavaliers are being faced with their first big dilemma of the offseason. That is the question of what should they do with Jarrett Allen. Should they keep the All-Star center, or move on from him?
Let's look at the facts first.
Allen averaged a near double-double last season by scoring 14.3 points and grabbing 9.8 rebounds a night. He was also efficient in the paint with a field goal percentage of 64 percent.
JA was also a great defensive player last season. He averaged 1.2 blocks and had the second-best defensive rating in the NBA with 108.1. The only player with a better rating was former defensive player of the year, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
But that was all in the regular season. The playoff version of Jarrett Allen did leave some to be desired.
He averaged under 10 points against the New York Knicks and even became a meme after saying, "The lights were brighter than expected."
Now, on to the trade rumors.
Some fans on social media seem to think that moving JA for Kristaps Porzingis would help take the Cavs to the next level. Zach Lowe also seems to think that a trade centered around Allen for Porzingis could make a lot of sense for both teams.
These comments come after Ryan Russllio said he thinks Jarrett Allen could be one of the NBA's stars that could be on the move this off-season.
So, a lot of analysts think that moving Allen could be the right move for the team's future, but that doesn't mean it is.
Allen has been a defensive staple in the paint during Cleveland's rebuild and is a perfect fit in the pick-n-roll with Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. The Cavs also have him signed through the 2026 season and a contract with that much security is not that common in today's NBA.
Moving on from someone such as this because of one poor playoff series, where there were many other problems outside of the center position, seems a bit premature.
Sure, if Koby Altman thinks that he can make this team better by trading Allen, then they should. But there are still other holes to fill, such as adding true small-forward, that Cleveland can fill without moving on from an All-Star center such as Allen.
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