The Cleveland Cavaliers committed a ton of assets to their frontcourt this NBA offseason. They used the No. 3 overall pick on center Evan Mobley out of USC. Jarrett Allen was re-signed as a restricted free agent, agreeing to a five-year, $100 million deal.
To top it off, Lauri Markkanen was acquired in a sign-and-trade deal that involved the Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers and he landed a four-year, $67 million deal.
It was a peculiar way to spend money, as all three players occupy essentially the same position on the court. Not to mention, veteran Kevin Love was still on the roster as the Cavaliers were unable to find a team willing to take on his contract and he was not interested in discussing a buyout.
Despite questions about how things would fit, J.B. Bickerstaff has made it work. Markkanen has been playing small forward when everyone is healthy and the results have been pretty positive. While the rest of the NBA is going small, the Cavaliers have gone big across the frontcourt.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Kevin Love Having Lasting Impact On Young Cavaliers
Cleveland did a good job selling the players on their vision to land with the team, as they could have gone elsewhere. Allen could have tried finding his way to another team despite being a restricted free agent if he didn’t want to compete with Mobley for a starting spot.
Instead, he returned to Cleveland with high hopes. In a recent interview with HoopsHype, Allen revealed why he chose to remain with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“Grow together. It’s so cliche, but it’s just so true for this group, just how young we are. I’m the oldest person. I guess Lauri now is the oldest person in the starting lineup, and he’s only a couple of months older than me. We have a lot more room to grow than if we’re all 28 and older, like some of these teams.”
Allen is certainly right when it comes to how much room there is for the team to grow together. Love, Ed Davis and Ricky Rubio are the only players on the roster that have more than four years of experience in the NBA coming into the 2021-22 season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Kevin Love Having Lasting Impact On Young Cavaliers
12 players on the roster are 26-years of age or younger, so there will certainly be a chance for this group to develop together long-term. That is the goal of every franchise and one that Jarrett Allen has bought into as well.
