Sources: 3 potential Isaac Okoro destinations with Cavs open to sign-and-trade
07/07/2024 04:27 PM
After hiring Kenny Atkinson as their next head coach, drafting Jaylon Tyson and re-signing Donovan Mitchell, it has been a relatively quiet offseason for the Cleveland Cavaliers. While fans have been foaming at the mouth for the Cavs to shake things up and bring new free-agent signings into the mix, Cleveland remaining somewhat inactive in free agency isn’t just blissful ignorance. Instead, it’s because the Cavs have been trying to figure out the next steps with Isaac Okoro, who is a restricted free agent, and then move forward from there.
Right before free agency began, Cleveland extended an $11.8 million qualifying offer to Okoro, making him a restricted free agent in the first place. Unfortunately, with Okoro’s qualifying offer costing so much, if the forward elected to pick up the offer, it would hamstring the Cavs a bit financially.
It’s also difficult for Cleveland to agree to a long-term deal with Okoro. Although he’s their best point-of-attack defender, Okoro is still flawed offensively several years into his NBA career. The Cavs might not be comfortable investing in someone who cannot be a steadying presence on both ends of the floor, leaving Okoro’s future in limbo.
However, an opposing team could step in as free agency rolls along, and Okoro is only one of a handful of restricted free agents remaining. While it might not be ideal to lose Okoro, the Cavs may prefer this outcome, so some league sources believe he could be on his way out of Cleveland on a sign-and-trade deal.
Could Cavs say goodbye to Isaac Okoro?
For those who don’t know, a sign-and-trade deal is where one team signs an unrestricted free agent or restricted free agent player to a new contract, only to immediately trade him to another team of the player’s choosing. This is typically done to enable the player to obtain a higher salary and/or greater number of years on their contract than NBA salary cap rules would ordinarily allow a destination team to sign him directly to a contract.
That means Cleveland cannot just sign Isaac Okoro to a deal and force him onto another team. It has to be a team that is interested in signing Okoro for the money he wants and, more importantly, is a team that Okoro wants to play for next season.
Sources have shared that the Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets and San Antonio Spurs could be teams worth monitoring in the Okoro sweepstakes, clarifying possible trade partners for the Cavs.
Mind you, despite Detroit, Brooklyn, and San Antonio’s interest in Okoro, that doesn’t mean Cleveland will get the best back from a trade partner. Instead, a scenario where the Pistons, who still have cap space to sign Okoro outright, send the Cavs draft capital is more likely.
Or, if Cleveland wants players instead of picks, scenarios where they acquire Dorian Finney-Smith from Brooklyn or the recently acquired Harrison Barnes from San Antonio are plausible options.
While it might not be the splashiest return for the Cavs, if they can find a deal with either the Nets or Spurs, they’d find a more reliable two-way wing despite losing out on Okoro’s upside. These are part of the tough decisions a team like Cleveland, which is looking to become a title threat, has to make. If that means sacrificing Isaac Okoro to make a marginal upgrade, the cost may be worth it.
The post Sources: 3 potential Isaac Okoro destinations with Cavs open to sign-and-trade appeared first on ClutchPoints.
