After being eliminated from the playoffs in the second round, the Cleveland Cavaliers will likely make some roster tweaks.
In a May 31 article for Sports Illustrated, Rohan Raman proposed a three-team deal that would see Jonathan Kuminga land with the Cavaliers. The Golden State Warriors forward is entering unrestricted free agency. As such, the deal is built around a sign-and-trade.
The proposed trade looks like this:
Atlanta Hawks Receive: Moses Moody and Dean Wade
Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: Jonathan Kuminga (S&T contract of 4-year, $85 million), 2027 2nd round pick (via CLE, from ATL)
Golden State Warriors Receive: Jarrett Allen, Georges Niang, 2025 2nd round pick (via CLE, #59), 2026 2nd round pick (via CLE), 2029 2nd round pick (via CLE, from ATL), 2031 2nd round pick (via ATL)
“Jonathan Kuminga’s flashes of potential are incredibly tantalizing,” Raman wrote. “The Cavaliers need a third scorer who can take some pressure from Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland – Kuminga could take on that role outside of the rigid Warriors’ system. At only 22 years old, he still has a good bit of development left in his career.”
Kuminga undoubtedly has bundles of untapped potential. If he could land with the Cavaliers and slot into the starting lineup, he could quickly emerge as a core part of Atkinson’s rotation. However, Kuminga is likely better suited to joining a rebuilding team, where he can develop into a first or second offensive option.
Cavaliers Can’t Sign Kuminga Via S&T
Another flaw with Raman’s trade proposal is that it doesn’t consider the Cavaliers’ cap issues. Cleveland is above the second luxury tax apron. When a team acquires a player via sign-and-trade, they become hard-capped at the first luxury tax apron.
As such, the Cavaliers would need to shed significant salary before being able to make this deal a viable option for themselves. Furthermore, a second-apron team cannot aggregate outgoing salaries unless the trade itself removes the team from the second apron.
According to Fanspo’s trade machine, Raman’s proposal would still leave Cleveland $700k over the second apron. Therefore, the trade would fail for multiple reasons.
Cavaliers’ Allen Received Criticism After Playoffs
According to former Cavaliers big man Channing Frye, Jarrett Allen must learn to embrace the physical aspects of the postseason.
“It’s really been bothering me… Jarrett Allen is not a playoff big man,” Frye said during a recent episode of the “Road Trippin’” podcast. “That is my statement. He is not physically dominant. He is not physically aggressive… At some point, as the main dude – the biggest dude on your team – you’ve gotta f*** somebody up once in a while.”
Allen has received significant criticism for his postseason production this year. As such, his name will likely be floated in multiple trade ideas in the coming months. Nevertheless, he’s still young enough to continue improving his game. If he can add some strength and show a new level of grit next season, those criticisms will quickly dissipate.
Therefore, it’s unlikely we see Koby Altman look to move on from Allen. Of course, that could change if the right offer crossed his desk. For now, though, Cleveland’s double-big front court looks set as we head into the 2025-26 season.
