The Cleveland Cavaliers have been on a tear for the past two months; since December 1, 2023, the Cavs have won 23 of their past 30 games, including 15 of their past 16. With the trade deadline approaching, one would think that they would employ the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” strategy. But now that they have emerged as one of the league’s most serious contenders, they are reportedly entertaining the idea of acquiring an upgrade — with Isaac Okoro being dangled as a centerpiece of any trade.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Okoro is one Cavs player to “monitor ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline”, as the 6’5 wing is currently in the final year of his rookie contract worth $8.9 million. This makes him eligible for a sizeable raise once the season’s up, and it’s not quite clear what the Cavs’ appetite is to go over the luxury tax to keep their current core intact.
As Scotto’s sources pointed out, Isaac Okoro could command as much as $14 million annually after his emergence into one of the more unheralded 3-and-D wings in the NBA. This is the market rate for his archetype of players, making it fair value, although with Donovan Mitchell’s contract set to expire following the 2024-25 season, there’s a chance that the Cavs maintain financial flexibility to keep him in town.
With Okoro potentially available in a trade, five teams (New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks) have reportedly shown interest in the 23-year old wing.
For what it’s worth, Cavs players feel like they don’t need to make any trades just so they could mount a deep playoff run. Caris LeVert said, per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, that they “have enough” to do what they want to do. It’s interesting to monitor, however, if the Cavs front office reciprocates the sentiment.
Just to stoke the trade fires even further, the Cavs have “recently checked in on Brooklyn’s trio of Dorian Finney-Smith, Royce O’Neale, and Lonnie Walker”, per Scotto, so it means that they are coveting additional depth. Whether they pull off a trade for those players involving Isaac Okoro, however, remains to be seen.