Cleveland Cavaliers Double Down On Roster By Extending Star Center

The Cleveland Cavaliers are making their future plans very clear, for better or for worse.

Mar 22, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) drives to the basket as Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) plays defense in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports / Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers signed big man Jarrett Allen to a three-year, $91 million contract extension on Wednesday, the latest in-house move to ensure that the Cavaliers will keep their "core four" around for the long haul.

Cleveland also extended Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley earlier this summer, and Darius Garland is already on a max deal.

So, in spite of all of the rumors and speculation that stated otherwise, the Cavs seem perfectly content with their current group and probably won't be making any significant trades.

Ever since the Cavaliers were eliminated from the playoffs in May, there have been rumblings that they could move one of Allen or Garland.

In the case of Allen, some felt trading him would be the best course of action to open things up for Mobley offensively, and multiple teams reportedly expressed interest in the center.

For everything Allen does well, he does not space the floor, making him a rather awkward fit alongside of Mobley up front.

However, Cleveland's brass evidently thinks the Allen-Mobley tandem is perfectly fine.

Is it? From a talent perspective, sure. Allen is a former All-Star, and Mobley was named a First-Team All-Defender during the 2022-23 campaign. That being said, there is no question that the limited offensive repertoires of Allen and Mobley make things complicated for Mitchell, Garland and the Cavs' offense, which is a reason why the team finished 20th in offensive efficiency this past season.

Injuries were also to blame for the Cavaliers' offensive struggles, as both Mobley and Garland played in under 60 games apiece. But there is also very little doubt that in order for Cleveland to truly establish itself as an offensive force, Mobley must take a step forward and further hone his perimeter shot (Allen certainly isn't going to do it).

I love Allen as a player, and Mitchell is apparently very fond of him too. That absolutely may have played a role in the Cavs' decision to lock him up for the long haul.

The question is whether or not these four star players can co-exist long term.

Of course, there are other avenues the Cavaliers can explore in order to make life easier for their core four, such as adding a floor-spacing big man to stagger between Allen and Mobley. Many felt Cleveland would do just that this offseason, but the Cavs have largely stood pat.

Isaac Okoro is a restricted free agent, so the Cavaliers can utilize a sign-and-trade to bring another piece back in return. The problem is that Okoro has generated very little interest, so it may prove difficult for Cleveland to recoup anything substantial for the former fifth overall pick.

Most likely, the Cavs will roll into the 2024-25 campaign with their current roster mostly intact. That's certainly not a bad thing, as the Cavaliers have won 99 games over the last two years and were able to win a playoff series this past spring. But the fact that Cleveland didn't make any vertical moves to improve itself while many of its Eastern Conference rivals did is problematic.

By extending Allen, the Cavs are essentially telling their fans, "This is our team. Get used to it." There isn't anything inherently wrong with that. In fact, that Mitchell, Mobley and Allen were all willing to sign long-term deals this summer demonstrates that the Cavaliers are moving in the right direction from a cultural perspective. Guys actually want to stay in Cleveland now. Who'da thunk it?

But on that same token, the Cavs' front office needs to show a commitment to getting better. Remaining stagnant is not the way to championships. For example, look at all of the roster tweaking the Boston Celtics had to do over the years before finally breaking through with a championship this past June.

The Cavaliers are still in their early stages here, so they deserve a pass for now. I'll even give them kudos for committing to their key players for the long haul.

And hey, maybe Mobley will make enormous progress in 2024-25 and further elevate Cleveland in the Eastern Conference standings.

But if we reach the trade deadline and things still look pretty much the same, changes will need to occur. Whether or not the Cavs would actually take initiative and make those changes remains to be seen.