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Although the Cleveland Cavaliers saw their season come to an end in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics, their future still should be considered bright.
The Cavs have Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and more young talent on the roster. But Isaac Okoro could reportedly be had by another team as a restricted free agent – per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times:
When talking about potential acquisitions for the Los Angeles Lakers, Woike says, “Okoro would be pricier — a restricted free agent who showed real offensive growth while always possessing the defensive tools teams value. Would Cleveland just match an offer at the tax-payer midlevel? The general sense is that there would at least be conversations, so there’d possibly be a window for a team to land the 23-year-old wing.”
With some uncertainty surrounding Okoro's long-term future with the Cavs, he garnered significant chatter as last season's trade market heated up. With how well Okoro has played in a contract year, belief is that Okoro could make upward of $14 million annually on his next contract, which is more than the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Okoro averaged 9.6 points per game for the Cavs in the regular season.
Cavs also looking for a new coach
Despite winning 99 games over the last two seasons and a first-round NBA Playoffs series this season, the Cvs fired head coach JB Bickerstaff.
“J.B. is a well-respected NBA coach and an incredible human-being,” Cavs President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman said in a press release upon the news of Bickerstaff's firing. “Over the past four years, he helped establish a culture that progressively drove players to become the best versions of themselves. Decisions like these are never easy, particularly when you look back at where this franchise rebuild started under his leadership. The NBA is a unique business that sometimes requires aggressive risk-taking to move a franchise forward and ultimately compete for championships.
“We owe a ton of gratitude for everything J.B. has contributed to the Cavaliers and his engagement in the Cleveland community. We wish J.B., his wife Nikki and their three children the best in their future endeavors.”
Who will ultimately replace Bickerstaff on the Cavs' bench?
James Borrego, Sam Cassell, Kenny Atkinson, and Terry Stotts have all been named as potential replacements. All have their strong suits, so ultimately the job may end up going to whichever candidate gets Donovan Mitchell's seal of approval. With the Cavs aiming to lock Mitchell up long-term, they need to do whatever is necessary to accomplish that aim – including hiring a coach that he approves of.
The Cavs have an opportunity to take another step next season, but they must play their cards right this summer to do so.
