Following their second-round exit at the hands of the eventual defending NBA Champions Boston Celtics, the Cavs knew they had some decisions to make and the time was at hand. Following the extensions of Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley and drafting Jaylon Tyson, the Cavs were not done yet extending their All-Star center Jarrett Allen.
The Cavs and Allen agreed to a three-year extension worth $90.72 million to stay in Cleveland through the 2028-29 season. That breaks down to an average of $30.24 million a season according to spotrac.com and the extension comes on the heels of Allen’s five-year contract following his trade to the Cavaliers from the Brooklyn Nets.
Despite injuries in the playoffs and during the season that caused him to miss five regular season games, he averaged a career-high 16.5 points per game while shooting 63% from the field and 2.7 assists per game, a full assist more than his previous career-high. He averaged a double-double for the fourth time in six seasons with 10.5 boards a game, the second-highest of his career.
Despite the consistency on the court, the playoffs became a different story for Allen as he was limited due to a rib injury in Game Four of the first-round series against the Orlando Magic. According to CBS Sports at the time, several of his teammates and even the front office members were frustrated that Allen did not play at all in the eventual second-round exit against Boston. Despite all that and the reports throughout the off-season of Mitchell and other Cavaliers not wanting him around, the Cavs knew they needed the big man to anchor the defense.
Looking at this Cavs team, the extension for Allen most certainly will aid the team as they struggled defensively when he was not on the court. Teams were pulling Mobley out of the paint and onto the perimeter and opened up the lane for easy layups and dunks. The Cavs did bring in Marcus Morris late in the year to add some muscle but teams were exploiting the inconsistency in Morris’ game just as much.
Opinions are out there that the Cavs traded the wrong guy to Utah for Mitchell, that Allen should have been included in the deal and Markkanen should have stayed. A team of Mobley, Markkanen, Strus, Mitchell and Garland would stretch the floor and provide an extra shooter and size for the Cavs. The money could have gone towards a big man who could shoot and allow Mobley to play down low as his game is much more suited for the style and not attempting to stretch the floor and shoot.
The jury is still out on whether this will be a good extension for the Cavs and Allen. The remaining two years of his current contract and the three year extension gives the Cleveland five years to figure out whether this is a good move or not. I would be surprised if Allen makes it the entire five years but only time and hopefully an NBA Championship, will tell.
JARRETT ALLEN HIGHLIGHTS CLICK HERE!!!
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