David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Cavaliers Star a Potential Trade Target Amid Donovan Mitchell Uncertainty

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Rex Villas | Last updated 5/20/24

The Cleveland Cavaliers have just seen their title hopes in the 2023-24 NBA season end up in flames after getting crushed in the second round of the playoffs by the powerful Boston Celtics.

With the Cavs now in offseason mode, much of the attention in Cleveland is on the future of star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, who only has one true guaranteed year remaining on his current deal. Without an extension at the moment, Mitchell could potentially be used as a trade asset by the Cavaliers.

Don’t Sleep on the Trade Potential of Cleveland Cavaliers Center Jarrett Allen

However, there is another big name on the Cavs side that seems to warrant close monitoring with regard to the trade winds in the summer, with NBA Marc Stein floating the possibility of Cleveland parting ways with big man Jarrett Allen.

“Look for Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen to become one of the most coveted trade targets in the league this offseason if the Cavaliers A) succeed in signing Donovan Mitchell to a contract extension and then B) prioritize signing Evan Mobley to a potentially maximum contract extension this summer as increasingly expected,” Stein shared (h/t Jesse Cinquini of Cavaliers Nation).

“Allen continues to have numerous admirers in rival front offices despite the whispers of frustration circulating in Cleveland surrounding Allen’s apparent reluctance to take a pain-killing injection to address a rib injury that sidelined him for the Cavaliers’ final eight playoff games.”

The former Texas Longhorns star will not be a free agent until the end of the 2025-26 season as he signed a five-year deal worth $100 million with the Cavaliers back in 2021 following his trade from the Brooklyn Nets. Allen, who missed the entire Celtics series with a rib injury, averaged 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and 2.7 assists per game in the 2023-24 NBA regular season.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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