Two Cavaliers Stars Named Top Trade Candidates

The Cleveland Cavaliers could trade one of these two stars this season.

Jan 16, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) celebrates with guard Darius Garland (10) during the second half against the New Orleans Pelicans at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers won their season opener in resounding fashion, routing the Toronto Raptors by a score of 136-106.

However, that won't stop people from mentioning Cavaliers stars in trade speculation.

Both Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen were viewed as trade candidates during the offseason, and Cleveland even received inquiries from teams on both players.

The Cavs opted to hold on to both stars, even handing Allen a contract extension. But could the Cavaliers turn around and trade one of them before the February deadline?

Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley thinks so, placing both Garland and Allen in his list of the top 10 trade candidates in the early stages of the 2024-24 NBA campaign.

"You might see this slide and wonder, Wait, didn't Allen just get a contract extension? Well, yes he did, but the three-year, $91 million deal inked in early August didn't necessarily tie his future to the franchise," Buckley wrote of Allen.

As a matter of fact, the extension may actually make Allen more tradeable, as a club would be able to land him long term on a very reasonable salary.

Buckley also sees a path to Cleveland jettisoning Garland, as well.

"Just like with Cleveland's frontcourt, there are some awkward redundancies with this backcourt combo," Buckley wrote. "Garland and [Donovan] Mitchell are both undersized for their positions, best with the ball in their hands and, to be polite, less than super-reliable on defense."

Of course, things would really have to go south—or horizontal—for the Cavs to seriously consider such a drastic roster move, but it certainly doesn't appear to be out of the question.