5 Cavaliers on Thin Ice After J.B. Bickerstaff Firing

2. Jarrett Allen

Talk about an experiment that didn't work. The Evan Mobley-Jarrett Allen pairing is another one that clearly failed in Cleveland. It behooves the Cavs to move on from one of them and considering the upside that Mobley has, it should be Jarrett Allen.

This is not to say that Allen played below expectations. On the contrary, Allen has been performing admirably ever since he signed the five-year, $100 million deal in the summer of 2021. In fact, his contract is one of the most team-friendly deals in the league. Having averaged 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game in 77 appearances, Allen is coming off an excellent season. He played a huge role keeping the Cavs afloat while the team was dealing with significant injuries to its core players all season.

Plus, he is only 26 years old and has been getting better ever since he came into the league. Then, why should the Cavs move on from him?

As good as Allen has been, he is just not the right fit next to Evan Mobley. Neither of them can shoot and they both occupy the same areas on the court. This creates significant spacing issues on offense. And defensively, they are both optimized playing the center. They excel at protecting the rim and anchoring the defense as the lone big man. Moving Mobley to play the 5 full-time should do wonders for this team.

If the Cavs can get a 3-and-D forward in exchange for Allen, they should seriously consider doing it. This team needs more wings, not another rim-running, rim-protecting center.