Three Cleveland Cavaliers players who should be traded before Jarrett Allen

It's another new season in the NBA, which means there is a boundless number of fans already making trade scenarios that see the Cleveland Cavaliers trade away Jarrett Allen. Every season, there are people who think Allen is an expendable chip who the team can simply move and continue plugging away without.

Considering Allen's all-around defensive talent, you can imagine there are people out there who would really want what the former All-Star has to offer. The problem is, the Cavs need Allen. They may need him as much as anyone on the roster not named Donovan Mitchell. His defense is on par with anyone's, and his ability to score inside is a much-needed part of the Cavs offense. 

Before Allen is traded, it's far more likely that guys get dealt because they're just bloated contracts underperforming. In the event that the Cavs aren't just offloading talent to get out from bad contracts, and they want to improve the roster, there are better options to make those specific trades with as well. 

So here are the three players who should be traded before anyone even considers moving Allen. 

Three Cleveland Cavaliers players who should be traded before Jarrett Allen

James Harden

This is the most obvious pick, and it's not even close. Before we think about trading one of the 10-best low-post defenders in the NBA, the Cavs should consider trading away Harden. The former Houston Rockets guard has been, historically, a guy who can't win it all. For whatever reason, he just fails to produce in the playoffs, whether it's due to an aging body or a style of play that doesn't translate well to seven-game series. This past season, Harden shot 46.6% from the floor in the regular season and a paltry 41.0% in the postseason. 

At 37, he'll only get worse from here on out. If the Cavs struggle in any way to start the season, even if it's not totally on Harden, it'll be him the team should consider moving. 

If he's playing fine, but the team is struggling, then you have a trade chip to make yourself better in theory. Maybe you can shed his contract and get two not-as-good players who can add some serious depth to the roster. Or, maybe the Cavs are playing well, but Harden isn't, and then you just offload him for whatever you can get. It's an addition by subtraction situation. Regardless, if the Cavs need to make a trade, it makes the most sense that Harden will be shipped out first. 

Peyton Watson

The Cavs just acquired Watson, and they won't be able to trade him until the calendar turns to 2027, but if a move needs to happen, it could be Watson who's dealt first. This may seem a bit of a stretch to happen, but in the last few years, the Cavs acquired guys like Lonzo Ball and De'Andre Hunter and traded both before they'd played a full season with the team (Hunter played 70 games, Ball 35). There is always a possibility that Watson isn't the player the Cavs need him to be. He's going to be asked to be a more physical defender, and it's unknown if he can be that type of guy. 

Not to mention, he'll likely be leaned on more for scoring as well. So if his 41.1% three-point shooting craters to 2023-2024 numbers (29.6%), or if his defense isn't what it's supposed to be, the Cavs would absolutely bail out on the Watson experiment. 

Evan Mobley

This may seem like a wild pick, but there's a real reason to consider moving on from Mobley. Firstly, his offense has stalled. He's a fine low-post scorer and can make a shot from outside the paint on occasion, but he's yet to pass 19 points per game in his first five seasons in the NBA. Whatever three-point shot he was developing to close out 2025 fell apart last season. His accuracy fell from 37% to 29% from 2025 to 2026.

He's still a great defender and a good enough scorer. If you're a team looking to rebuild and have a veteran who can help the Cavs, Mobley is still a good trade piece. So if the Cavs are desperate to improve their roster, Mobley is the best option. He'll get you the best bang for your buck.

Now, trading Mobley only makes sense because you have Allen, and vise versa. Yet, Allen's impact offensively is even more dependent on put-back shots, and so Mobley will likely have a higher ceiling on a returning trade package than Allen. Plus, Allen is considerably less expensive, considering he and Mobley are pretty close in terms of their defensive acumen.