After locking up Donovan Mitchell and signing Evan Mobley to lucrative extensions, the Cleveland Cavaliers have had a quiet offseason. However, one major free agency decision is looming for the Cavs, but there appears to be no end in sight. Swingman Isaac Okoro, who Cleveland drafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, is a restricted free agent and remains unsigned.
Okoro has become a notable 3-and-D wing after shooting a career-high 39.1 percent on the perimeter to complement his solid three-point defense. Players like Okoro are few and far between in today's NBA, so it might be confusing that the Cavs haven't re-signed him already, right? Due to the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and how much money Cleveland is paying its roster, re-signing Okoro has become incredibly challenging.
The Cavs are close to the luxury tax threshold entering the upcoming season. With Mitchell and Mobley starting new contract extensions and Jarrett Allen entering the final year of his contract during the 2025-26 season, it’s unclear whether Cleveland is willing to go into the luxury tax for the 2024-25 season, with the team expected to be above the luxury threshold starting in 2025-26.
So, with that in mind, there are routes to Okoro's return to the Cavs. But if the team wants to avoid the restrictions of being a luxury tax team, Cleveland would have to trade Caris LeVert or Georges Niang to maintain that flexibility and keep Okoro. LeVert is entering the final season of his contract worth $16.6 million but is a favorite of new head coach Kenny Atkinson. Niang, meanwhile, is owed $16.7 million through the next two seasons and is a close friend of Mitchell, which could keep him in Cleveland.
Right now, the Cavs are stuck between a rock and a hard place with Okoro. If anything, the writing could be on the wall since, as it stands, there seem to be only two viable paths left. The first involves Cleveland trading Okoro in a sign-and-trade deal. The second, meanwhile, involves Okoro picking up his $11.8 million qualifying offer and becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer.
What's next for Isaac Okoro and the Cavs?
Cleveland's preferable path between the two options is finding a sign-and-trade partner for Okoro. But the Cavs cannot just dictate which team Okoro signs with. Instead, they have to work with a team that signs Okoro to an offer they don't feel comfortable matching and then facilitate a trade.
Sources tell ClutchPoints that the Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz and Brooklyn Nets could all be teams still signing Okoro this late into free agency. All four teams give Cleveland a few interesting options in a sign and trade, but it won't be for anything astronomical either.
Considering the value of Okoro's position and what sources say Okoro is looking for, a realistic contract extension would likely be in the ballpark of a four-year, $54 million deal. That's more money than what the Cavs want to pay Okoro, so they can make offers that may not thrill Cleveland with possible trade partners looming.
For example, a realistic return would be draft compensation if the Pistons signed Okoro to a four-year deal in that range. Even after signing Okoro, Detroit would still be a hair under the salary cap and nowhere near the luxury tax threshold. On the other hand, in Utah, Cleveland would get a similar return since the Jazz have enough space to fill their roster financially. While neither would be exciting, that's the reality of the situation in sign-and-trade deals.
For the Nets, meanwhile, the Cavs would likely only get back Dorian Finney-Smith and a second-round draft pick or two. In Charlotte, the return would be the same as with Brooklyn, with Cleveland getting Grant Williams and minor draft compensation.
Again, it isn't a perfect solution, but it clarifies what could happen in a sign-and-trade for the Cavs involving Okoro. This would be the ideal move since the worst-case scenario is having Okoro pick up his qualifying offer. This would minimize Cleveland's chance of signing any other impact players, give Okoro a no-trade clause, and, worst of all, open a path to unrestricted free agency next summer where the Cavs lose him for nothing.
Things will keep evolving at a snail's pace, and at this point, with so much gridlock, what matters most is who blinks first between Cleveland and Okoro in a negotiation.
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