Why the Cleveland Cavaliers need to trade Jarrett Allen after Christmas Day meltdown

The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently seventh in the Eastern Conference standings with a 17-15 record.

For a team that was given NBA championship aspirations at the start of the 2025-26 NBA campaign, they boys in wine red and gold have suffered a disappointing fall from grace.

On Christmas Day, the Cavaliers matched up against the New York Knicks, who were in that same boat prior to the season beginning, where they fell 126-124. The Cavaliers struggled to finish down the stretch of the game, at one point in time leading by a 15-point deficit and a 17-point gap.

But simple control, consistency and composure led to the Knicks bringing the game all the way back en route to a win.

The Knicks have kept those postseason aspirations alive. Whether it's rhythmic shooting and effort on the glass, or just Jalen Brunson taking over, they currently sit second in the Eastern Conference standings with just nine losses on the year.

One of the glaring positives for the Knicks, that showed in the win over the Cavaliers, was the team's rebounding capabilities. Whether it was the guards, forwards or centers, everyone got involved. Leading the group on Dec. 25 were Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson, who grabbed 14 and 13 rebounds, respectively.

That's a stark difference from the production of Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen. In just 23 minutes of time on the court, he was bullied, hauling in just eight boards.

While that's not the only reason the Cavaliers lost the game, down the stretch, it played a major role.

And it's not a new issue this season.

#Cavs Jarrett Allen has a 13.9% rebounding percentage. That ranks 37th out of all centers in the NBA who have played at least 5 games this season.
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) December 26, 2025

He's statistically one of the worst rebounders in the NBA this season. He's ranked as the 37th best center in rebounding percentage who has at least played five games at a mark of 13.9%.

On the season, he's also currently averaging just 7.4 a night, his worst average since the 2018-2019 campaign with the Brooklyn Nets. At that point in time, he was playing in just his second year of professional basketball.

Whether it's the team's current makeup or just a simple case of a player's career trending downward, Cleveland's front office is being forced into making a change.

Allen and forward Evan Mobley cannot co-exist on the court at the same time. They take up too much of the same productivity on the glass, simply due to their inefficiencies in scoring from outside the paint. They cannot spread the court like other teams' bigs across the league can, a perfect example being Towns and Robinson.

In order to maintain a competitive edge and try to turn this season back around, a trade involving Allen must occur; both sides need a fresh start.

While it'll be difficult due to the Cavaliers being above the second apron, there are a few trade scenarios that the front office could make happen. Even if they take a player with a weaker value, it may be what the rest of the roster needs to get back on track.

But no matter what happens, things won't be getting any easier for the Cavaliers.

Up next, Cleveland's preparing for a difficult stretch of the season. They'll take on four top Western Conference foes in the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets, with the first matchup coming on Saturday, Dec. 27, with tip-off slated for 8:00 p.m. EST.