Since their season has ended, everyone has been thinking about how the Cleveland Cavaliers should proceed with the opposite of Koby Altman's grand vision. To Altman, the Cavs are a few more pieces away from becoming a true title contender, and he knows that talent like what Cleveland has assembled doesn't come together so easily. While the naysayers and cynics may continue to disagree with Altman's plan, holes continually are poked into their argument on why the Cavs need to shake up the roster.
Sources have confirmed to ClutchPoints that despite concerns and questions about his fit next to Evan Mobley on the court, Cleveland remains hesitant to trade former All-Star Jarrett Allen, as first reported by league insider Marc Stein.
This news may seem like a bolt out of the blue, especially with Allen regularly linked to the New Orleans Pelicans as a possible trade destination. But despite the somewhat suddenness of it all, Allen being safe further reaffirms Altman's vision of not making moves that, in his eyes, don't help the Cavs level up toward becoming a contender.
Why it makes sense for Cleveland to keep Jarrett Allen
Again, looking at how the Cavs performed this postseason, especially when Allen was sidelined with a fractured rib, it became even clearer that Cleveland is more dynamic with Mobley at center. But despite all the noise around Mobley becoming the team's starting center, the quiet part that no one mentions is that he still didn't look fully equipped to handle full-time responsibilities as a full-time five, either.
That doesn't mean Mobley cannot play center when he isn't sharing the floor with Allen. Instead, Mobley can do it in sporadic bursts, creating lineup versatility and stylistic flexibility whenever Allen sits. If anything, the Cavs need to make this pairing of Mobley and Allen more palatable for a proper head-coaching candidate to creatively set up Cleveland on either end of the floor for success. So as it's been reported that the Cavs have been linked to Denver Nuggets assistant David Adelman and Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant coach Micah Nori, the mindset of keeping Allen and Mobley together makes even more sense.
While a coaching change to either Adelman or Nori would not fix Cleveland's existing issues in the backcourt, it would be a step toward empowering both Allen and Mobley on the floor. Adelman, who draws tactical inspiration from his father, Rick Adelman, has built an offense that plays to the strengths of his bigs, namely three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and multi-faceted gadget forward Aaron Gordon. Nori, meanwhile, has managed Minnesota's rotations and lineups, employing a two-way system that plays to the strengths of the star-studded big man duo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. The Timberwolves have embraced size even more at times, too, occasionally deploying lineups featuring fellow big man Naz Reid at de facto small forward.
Moreover, it's also been reported that Donovan Mitchell has signaled to the Cavs that he doesn't want to lose Allen as a teammate this offseason. Sure, Mitchell is already expected to sign a four-year contract extension with Cleveland this summer. But if the Cavs keep Allen, it'll make it even easier for Mitchell to put pen to paper, locking up the most important star Cleveland has had since LeBron James.
The Cavs holding onto Allen makes sense on multiple levels and further drives home the point that there's a reason why Cleveland's naysayers don't make franchise-altering decisions. Keeping Allen can support Mobley, especially if the Cavs find the right candidate as their next head coach. More importantly, not trading Allen will help Cleveland keep Mitchell long-term as well, which is paramount for the team's future success as they try to become a title contender.
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