Cavaliers Open to Trading All-Star Player This Offseason

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated May 28, 2025 2:43 PM ET

The Cleveland Cavaliers were the No. 1 seed in the East this year. They were projected to compete for the championship after sweeping the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs.

However, the Indiana Pacers beat the Cavaliers in the conference semifinals in five games. Cleveland has yet to advance past the second round of the playoffs since acquiring Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz in 2022.

Many believe the Cavaliers need to make a trade or two this offseason to improve the roster around Mitchell and Evan Mobley. Cleveland signed Mobley and Mitchell to extensions last summer.

Mobley winning the 2024-25 Defensive Player of the Year Award triggered a clause in his contract that calls for him to increase the first-year salary of his rookie-scale extension from 25 to 30% of the salary cap.

As a result, Cleveland is now projected to have $219 million in salary for the 2025-26 season and be over the second apron, and according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, All-Stars Darius Garland and/or Jarrett Allen could be moved this offseason.

“I think the two untouchables are Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley,” Fedor said. “I have been getting the sense that the Cavs would be more willing to entertain and at least consider possibilities for Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland than they have in the past.”

Garland made his second All-Star team this year. He averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists in the regular season and 18.0 points and 5.2 assists in the postseason.

Meanwhile, Allen averaged 13.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks during the regular season and 13.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.9 blocks in the playoffs.

"So I just think when you’re at a point that the Cavs are at with their roster the way the season ended earlier than anybody expected and with their salary cap situation, you have to start considering some of these alternatives and you have to start having very difficult conversations, conversations that are going to be painful, maybe even subtractions from the roster that are going to be painful,” Fedor said.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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