Cavaliers Reluctant to Trade Any of Their Four Best Players, per Report

Patrick Andres | May 31, 2024

Jan 16, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) and center Jarrett Allen (31) react after a basket during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

After an unsatisfying end to the 2024 season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been left scratching their heads.

The Cavaliers undoubtedly improved year-over-year—despite winning three fewer games than in 2023, Cleveland won its first playoff series without legendary forward LeBron James on its roster since 1993. However, it wasn't enough to save coach J.B. Bickerstaff's job after the team skidded to the end of the regular season.

Speculation has surrounded the fates of some of the Cavaliers' biggest stars, but a new report suggests Cleveland is pumping the breaks on potential deals.

"The Cavs don’t appear very motivated to listen to trade inquiries for any member of their core four," Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports wrote Friday morning.

The Cavaliers' consensus four best players—center Jarrett Allen, guard Darius Garland, guard Donovan Mitchell and forward Evan Mobley—have seven All-Star appearances between them. Mobley, who finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting in '23, has none.

"Cleveland, however, has not been truly keen on entertaining rival teams’ offers for Allen," Fisher wrote, "as the shot-blocker and rim-runner developed a strong on-court connection with (Mitchell) uring a stretch of winning 17 of 18 games this winter—largely without (Garland) and (Mobley)."

Whether that world-beating Cleveland team shows up going forward or the lackadaisical Cavaliers of March and April supplant them will determine the fate of what remains an intriguing core.