CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) - The Cleveland Cavaliers announced Friday their signing of center Jarrett Allen to a multi-year deal.
The contract - reported for five years and $100 million - returns Allen to Cleveland after restricted free agency.
“We spent the last few years maintaining our financial and roster flexibility to put ourselves in a position to acquire and now re-sign a player of Jarrett’s caliber,” Cleveland general manager Koby Altman said Friday. “Since his arrival, Jarrett has fit seamlessly into our culture and almost instantly, he earned the respect of his coaches and teammates. We took another positive step forward in our pursuit of sustainable success with this signing, as we see Jarrett as an integral piece of our future moving forward.”
Allen, 23, was acquired from Brooklyn as part of the three-team trade last January that involved the Houston Rockets trading James Harden to the Nets. The 6'11 Allen played in 63 games (45 starts) for the Nets and Cavs this past season and averaged career highs in points (12.8), rebounds (10.0), assists (1.7) and minutes (29.6). In his 51 outings (40 starts) for Cleveland, Allen averaged 13.2 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.39 blocks in 30.3 minutes.
“It can’t be overstated enough that the coaching staff and front office wanted me to be in Cleveland long-term,” said Allen. “I will forever be grateful for this opportunity and it’s an honor to continue representing the Cavs and becoming more entrenched into this community. I’m also excited about improving with my teammates. We have some really talented, young and hungry players in this locker room and I can’t wait to get back on the court with them to see how far we can take this thing.”
Taken by Brooklyn in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2017 NBA Draft, Allen has appeared in 285 regular season games and has career averages of 10.7 points on .611 shooting from the field, 8.3 rebounds and 1.37 blocks over four NBA seasons. Allen has also appeared in two postseasons with the Nets in 2019 and 2020, averaging a double-double in nine contests (10.7 points, 10.3 rebounds).
