The Cleveland Cavaliers are of the belief that they have presented restricted free agent Isaac Okoro with more than one fair offer, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
The Cavaliers already signed franchise cornerstones Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley to contract extensions this offseason, opening the door for them to shift their focus elsewhere as the summer continues.
“Now the priority is a resolution with restricted free agent Isaac Okoro,” Fedor wrote.
Okoro has spent each of his first four seasons in the NBA with the Cavaliers after the team nabbed him with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
“Sources say the Cavs and Okoro’s reps remain in contact,” Fedor wrote. “Cleveland likes Okoro. It values him — to a point. Wants him back — at the right price. The current front office drafted Okoro fifth overall in 2020, bypassing the likes of Obi Toppin, Deni Avdija, Jalen Smith, Devin Vassell and Tyrese Haliburton, among others.
“Last October, Avdija received a four-year, $55 million extension. Toppin got a new four-year, $58 million contract this summer to stay in Indiana. Smith joined the Chicago Bulls on a three-year, $27 million deal.
“Sources say the Cavs have already made multiple variations of what they deem fair, multi-year offers that align with Okoro’s perceived market value and his place within the hierarchy of the organization. Those potential deals also give him financial security. While that number hasn’t been disclosed, the belief is it’s closer to the contract Smith signed as opposed to the ones given to those more-accomplished classmates.”
According to Fedor, the Cavaliers have explored sign-and-trade scenarios for Okoro as well, but none of the possibilities have been enticing enough for the team to pull the trigger.
“Considering all their options, the Cavs have had multiple conversations with different teams about the possibility of a sign-and-trade,” Fedor wrote. “None of them have been appealing enough to accept at this point. There is also running dialogue centered on the validity of Okoro accepting the qualifying offer, playing on a prove-it deal and becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer. In this situation, the Cavs have the leverage.”
Okoro started 42 of the 69 games he played in for the Cavaliers during the 2023-24 regular season and averaged 9.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks per game.
The 23-year-old displayed growth as a 3-point shooter in his fourth season in the pros. Okoro attempted 3.1 3-pointers per contest and knocked down a career-high 39.1 percent of his attempts from deep. He also remained a strong defender, something he has earned a reputation for.
But it’s still up for debate as to whether Okoro has proven that he is worthy of being selected with a top-five pick in the 2020 NBA Draft.
After all, following what was a productive regular season, he wasn’t a major contributor for the Cavaliers during the team’s time in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Okoro played in all 12 of Cleveland’s playoff contests but averaged only 5.5 points per contest on 35.7 percent shooting from the field and 25.7 percent shooting from 3-point range along with 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.
Granted, he did get off to a solid start from an offensive standpoint in the Cavaliers’ second-round series against the Boston Celtics. He finished Game 1 of the best-of-seven series with 11 points and followed that performance up with 12 points in Game 2.
But that two-game span was Okoro’s best stretch of play from an offensive standpoint during the playoffs. He didn’t score more than five points in any of the last three games of the series against Boston, and the Cavaliers were eliminated by the Celtics — who went on to win the 2024 NBA title — in a gentleman’s sweep.
