INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Walking across the practice courts in Independence, Jarrett Allen wears his usual grin, surrounded by an air of happiness. Practice just finished, but before he gets on with the rest of his day, he takes a few minutes to sit down with News 5 Cleveland. The interview comes just a few days before he and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers tip off the 2026-27 season, which the entire team seems eager for.
See highlights of the interview below:
The Cavs have spent the past five months in different ways. There's been plenty of milestone moments, like the weddings of Donovan Mitchell and Craig Porter Jr., and time for fun, like guys meeting up for the US Open or a Louisville football game. For Allen, there was some backpacking and travel with his wife.
Players spent the off-season in different ways, but as they took time for themselves, they also haven't stopped thinking about being swept by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
"A lot of reflection. Just looking back on the season and seeing where things went wrong, but most importantly, seeing where things went right. I think we had a lot of things to celebrate during the season and a lot of things that we're looking to change in the offseason," Allen said.
Sitting in a chair on the baseline of one of the practice courts, some of the changes he's mentioning can be seen behind him.
The Cavs have been a tight-knit group for a while. Guys get along and spend time together. They've been supportive of each other, whether it be in life events like attending a wedding, or in philanthropic efforts, like attending a charity event or camp hosted by a teammate. But this offseason, that support has reached a new level, as Mitchell explained during Media Day in September.
"I think this is probably the most time I've spent with my teammates outside of the actual season in my career," Mitchell said. "Being in New York at the open and and working out there then going to Phoenix for James [Harden]'s birthday and working out there...the fact that we're still spending time there, guys coming out for my wedding, guys came to Louisville—there's so many different things and so many different parts."
Allen might be thinking of some of those moments this offseason when he answers the next question: "What do you think the team's identity is going to be this season?"
"Our camaraderie. I really take pride in that for this team. We're not playing for ourselves; we're playing for each other, and I think that's what makes us dangerous. We're willing to sacrifice for each other. We're willing to make the extra play, the extra effort, go the extra mile for each other," Allen says.
It's easier to put in extra effort for a team when you enjoy being on it. And Allen loves being in wine and gold.
The big man joined the team in 2021 when the Cavs entered a four-team trade surrounding, ironically enough, James Harden, as he went to the Nets and Brooklyn sent Allen to Cleveland.
More than five years, an All-Star nod and four consecutive playoff appearances later, Allen has not only settled into the team and the city—he's come to love both greatly.
But the NBA is a business, one that can be cutthroat. Trades, as Allen knows well from being dealt to Cleveland, are part of the deal. Over the off-season during the LeBron James sweepstakes, Allen's name was brought up often in rumors and rumblings as a trade piece.
Allen doesn't flinch as he's asked about those rumors and how he navigates them.
"Just stepping away from it all. That's a lot of things that I can't control and at that point it's 'If I can't control it, why worry about it?' So I let the front office deal with that," Allen says.
Now, Allen may be nonchalant about the business, but he candidly adds another thought to his answer, one surrounding a reality in which he was dealt to another team for the right price.
"If they traded me, honestly, I'll be devastated. I made a home in Cleveland, a lot of friends and everything," Allen says.
Still, as Allen talks about the potential of being traded and his desire to remain with the Cavs, there's still a sense of pride about being valued enough around the league to even be mentioned in the trade rumors in the first place.
"I understand it's part of the job, and it's good to be known I'm wanted in other places. My value is high even though a lot of people don't understand the big position," he says. "Kobe, he sees something in the way I play, the way I make the team better, and just my ability to push this team forward. -
Allen is hopeful to clear up some of the misunderstanding with his contributions on the court this season. Beyond looking to thrive in the obvious duties of a big—rim protection, rebounding, points in the paint—he also hopes people see the impact he has off-ball.
"Just the impact that I have away from the ball and not even being able to touch the ball. My movement under the basket and around the basket is monumental for people like James and Donovan to get layups. I impact the play quite a bit without even touching the ball and being near the action," Allen said.
During this most recent playoff run, Allen averaged 12.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.7 blocks. He also remembers feeling like he was having the off-ball impact he hopes to continue showing this season.
"I knew that I was doing good things on the offensive end and taking away, like last year, Jalen Duren from the basket. He's a great rim protector, but at the same time he has to worry about me on the other side of the block. So it just creates some indecision in the defender's mind," Allen says.
Allen wants to put all of that on display this fall and spring, and in doing so hopes that it lends a hand in the team's goal of winning a championship.
"I keep on saying it, every single year we take a step forward. Two years ago, second round. Last year, the conference finals, and now this year the sky is the limit," Allen says, smiling.
As Allen sits in the chair, talking about his team and the aspirations shared amongst his teammates, he does so with the understanding of what it would mean for those goals to be achieved, not just for the guys on the court, but for the entire city.
I asked Allen back in September during Media Day if he had an understanding of the magnitude championship would carry for the fan base. It seemed then that he did.
"We all know the city is hungry. They want to win. They want to see a championship here again. I feel like they believe in us, but part of them has doubt. Everybody wants to break the doubt. I want to break the doubt. The team wants to break the doubt. And we want to do it for the city," Allen said last month. "We just want to bring happiness and joy back to the city."
Sitting down for this interview, just days before the tip-off of regular season action for the Cavs, Allen holds all of that understanding with him. He wants the same thing the fan base does. Maybe that's because, as Allen says, he's got a lot more in common with them than some may think.
"Fans are starting to realize it more, but I'm just a normal person like everybody else. I just go around, do my business, explore Cleveland. I like doing things that anybody else would do," he says.
From wearing a Cleveland Guardians Hot Dogs shirt on a playoff travel day this spring to his recent visit to the Muni Lot this Sunday before the Cleveland Browns game against the Baltimore Ravens, where he played beer die with fans, Allen really does come off as just a regular guy who just so happens to stand nearly seven feet tall, without the 'fro.
So when I tell him I can sense how much he loves the city, his answer comes as no surprise.
"Yeah, I do. It has grown on me so much more than I ever thought it would," Allen says. "Favorite thing about Cleveland—the people, honestly. The people are so down to earth. I call it a homegrown city. To be honest, a lot of people aren't moving here like other cities, but that just makes the community tighter when everybody is from here, cares about the city first and foremost, just loves talking to people."
Allen isn't alone in his love for the city he plays in. The Cavs are full of players who appreciate Cleveland.
But if there's one thing they might love more than Cleveland, it's each other. As Allen mentioned, the identity of the team is going to be their camaraderie. He gets to prove that to be true as Mitchell walks by and stops to ask Allen a question of his own.
"Jarrrett, who's your favorite teammate and why? Donovan? Why?" Mitchell teases.
"Um, yeah," Allen responds before Mitchell thanks him and heads to his own interview.
And with that, Allen's smile, already big, fills his face.
He loves Cleveland and the Cavaliers, and there's no question there.
