There were major questions about how the Cleveland Cavaliers would approach this offseason, namely whether they would try to make wholesale changes to their roster. Instead, Cleveland has opted to go in the opposite direction, as the team agreed to a contract extension with Donovan Mitchell and made clear that it wants to run it back around himself, Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley.
On Wednesday, we got the latest example of how Cleveland wants to keep building around that core. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that the team agreed to terms on a new deal with Jarrett Allen, as the big man will get a max extension worth $91 million that will keep him under contract with the team for the next five seasons.
Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen has agreed on a three-year, $91 million maximum extension that’ll now guarantee him $131 million over the next five years, his agent Derrick Powell tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/vmOcgrKsmP
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 31, 2024
It’s a very interesting move by Cleveland, as there were plenty of calls for them to move Allen and build around Mobley as the team’s center. That isn’t to say that Allen is a bad player — in fact, he’s viewed as one of the best centers in the NBA, and while his fit alongside Mobley has been clunky, he’s performed at an All-Star level over the last few years. Additionally, new Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson coached Allen during his time in Brooklyn.
Last season, Allen averaged 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 blocks in 31.7 minutes per game.
