Right now, it seems like the Cleveland Cavaliers made all the right decisions in the 2024 offseason, as the team has enjoyed a 20-3 start to the campaign and has the best record in the NBA.
Each member of Cleveland’s core four has had a hand in the team’s success this season. That includes big man Jarrett Allen, who is once again averaging a double-double for the Cavs while providing strong defense.
It didn’t always seem like a guarantee that Allen was going to be part of the 2024-25 Cavs. He was involved in trade rumors over the offseason and had to face criticism after he didn’t play through a rib injury in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. But fortunately, Cleveland never agreed to trade him — not even for New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram.
“Cleveland rebuffed any outreach that would have swapped Ingram for Jarrett Allen, sources said,” wrote NBA insider Jake Fischer.
The trade rumors surrounding Allen over the 2024 offseason died down when he signed a three-year extension with the team. That deal made him ineligible to be traded for a period of time that will last until just before this season’s trade deadline.
While he will technically be eligible to be traded before the deadline this season, the Cavs have virtually no reason to shake up their roster after a nearly flawless start to the campaign. A report came out after Allen signed his extension that indicated that he’d likely continue receiving trade interest moving forward, but one has to imagine that Cleveland’s 20-3 start to the season has changed a lot of things.
Allen this season is averaging 13.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting a whopping 70.1 percent from the field, the highest clip of his career. He hasn’t missed a game for the Cavs and has maintained those very solid averages despite averaging his fewest shots and minutes per game since he came to Cleveland.
People within the Cavs organization reportedly still laugh about how little they had to give up to acquire Allen. That alone seems like a good sign that they like having him around. Allen and his squad will be back in action on Saturday against the Charlotte Hornets as they look to continue their stellar play.
