Jarrett Allen drops truth bomb about consequences of making trade involving ‘somebody in the locker room’

Perhaps surprisingly given their success this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been named in some trade rumors with Thursday’s deadline looming.

The argument for the Cavaliers making a trade prior to the deadline might have been strengthened when they lost to the defending champion Boston Celtics for the second time this season on Tuesday.

But Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen chalked up the loss to a slow start and warned that a trade involving “somebody in the locker room, a locker room presence” would disrupt team chemistry.

“If you take away somebody, especially somebody in the locker room, a locker room presence, it’s gonna disrupt it,” Allen said when asked how a trade might disrupt Cleveland’s chemistry. “That’s just the end of the day. We’re all close to each other, but as you know, that’s how things go.”

Allen also thinks the Cavaliers already have what it takes to achieve their goals.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Allen said. “I mean, every single night we go out there even if we’re missing people. I feel like we have enough to win every single night.”

Allen left his mark against the Celtics despite the loss. He had 17 points, the third-most of any Cavalier, and knocked down all five of his attempts from the charity stripe. Additionally, he pulled down 18 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive glass.

The former University of Texas standout wasn’t one of the three Cavaliers selected to play in the upcoming All-Star Game, but he had a compelling case to be picked. He’s averaging a double-double of 13.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game this season to go along with his reliable defense. Allen has been incredibly durable as well, considering he has yet to miss a game for Cleveland since the beginning of the 2024-25 campaign.

As the deadline approaches, perhaps Cleveland’s front office should take heed of the expression, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” A disappointing loss to Boston notwithstanding, the Cavaliers remain a dominant squad this season. They have the second-best record in the NBA and the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. In addition, Cleveland had picked up victories in every one of its past four games before falling to Boston.

However, if the organization feels like more help will be needed in order to make a legitimate title run this season, then a deal may indeed come to fruition before the deadline comes and goes.