Cavs’ Koby Altman: Jarrett Allen Remains Incredibly Important To Us

May 19, 2025

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — When this edition of the Cavaliers loses in the playoffs, it’s usually one name that always makes the rounds on the trade-rumor mill.

And yes, it belongs to center Jarrett Allen.

But every time, Allen is back with the Cavaliers, and from the sounds of things, that will remain the case next season.

That’s not to say he’s a finished product. Even Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman offered some constructive criticism at his end-of-the-season press conference.

But Altman also offered a little perspective on not just the so-called Core Four, but Allen specifically.

“I think Jarrett is the easy target, right?” Altman said. “Let’s point to Jarrett in Game 5 when he wasn’t his best. I think he’d be the first to tell you that in that space, that’s where you need to elevate his level. But we all kind of did, right?”

As you know, the Cavs were bounced in the second round of the playoffs after a glorious regular-season. Immediately, it was Allen’s name that began surfacing on all the talk shows and social media. Cleveland must trade him, the pundits have said.

But as Altman noted, those same types of rumors have surrounded Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner for years. Yet Turner remains in Indiana and the Pacers are now thrilled he’s still there.

“Remember how many times he was in trade rumors?” Altman asked. “And now, (Indiana’s) not who they are without Turner. So again, we got to take caution before we say we’ll be better without Jarrett — or we’ll find something better. Turner is an incredible example of how you stick with a guy and they’ve [Indiana] reaped the benefits of that.”

Altman made a valid point. It’s always easy to say your favorite team needs to trade a guy. Actually getting an obvious upgrade? That’s a different matter entirely.

Allen is a walking double-double and is loved by his temmates and the organization as a whole. Those things aren’t so easy to replace.

If Altman made one thing clear, it’s that he’s disappointed in the finish. But he seemingly has no intention of tearing it down and starting again. Nor does he appear to be ready to move on from Allen.

“Jarrett remains incredibly important to us. We’re not a 64-win, one-seed without him,” Altman said. “You’re not gonna get much better if you’re talking about moving away from Jarrett.”

In other words, Altman is committed to Allen and the rest of the core — despite the disappointing finish.

“There’s always going to be urgency,” said Altman. “(But) we have patience because we keep knocking on that door. … There’s a level of disappointment and frustration, and how do we come back and go after this thing again? That’s the space we want to live in.”