Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen has agreed to a three-year, $91 million contract extension with Cleveland, according to a source familiar with the talks who spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Allen, who has become a key player for the Cavs and is one of the top big men in the Eastern Conference, will be guaranteed $131 million over the next five years, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been finalized.
The Cavaliers are expected to announce Allen’s extension as early as Thursday, the source added.
One of Allen’s agents, Derrick Powell, shared details of the agreement with ESPN earlier.
Allen is part of Cleveland’s “Core 4” alongside All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell, guard Darius Garland, and forward Evan Mobley. This group helped the Cavs make the playoffs for the second consecutive year, advancing past the first round before losing to eventual champion Boston in the conference semifinals.
The 26-year-old Allen is the third major player to sign an extension with the Cavs this summer, following deals for Mitchell (3 years, $150.3 million) and Mobley (5 years, $224 million). The team also hired Kenny Atkinson as its new coach.
Allen, an All-Star in 2022, averaged a career-high 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 77 games for Cleveland last season.
He was especially effective during a period when Garland and Mobley were injured, and former Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff ran some offense through the 6-foot-11 center.
After criticism for being overpowered by New York’s frontline in the 2023 playoffs and suggesting the pressure might have been too much for the Cavs, Allen started strongly in the opening round against Orlando before suffering a broken rib. This injury kept him out of the last three games against the Magic and the entire series against the Celtics.
