The NBA trade deadline is less than 24 hours away. It's been pretty quiet throughout the league but it always feels like the big trades go down just before time expires.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly expected to remain quiet at the deadline. They already have a tone of depth and have played a historically good level of basketball over the last two months.
One player has recently emerged as a candidate to be traded if Cleveland does decide to make a move. That's swingman Isaac Okoro, per Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype.
Let's say the Cavs do decide to move Okoro. Where would he end? These are the teams that Scotto identifies in his report as those who are monitoring the situation and are "known to have interest in acquiring" a player with Okoro's skillset.
Those teams are the:
- New York Knicks
- Atlanta Hawks
- Indiana Pacers
- Phoenix Suns
- Milwaukee Bucks
Okoro's 2023-24 season has been arguably the best of his young career. No, he isn't averaging the most points of his career, but his improvement in shooting efficiency has made him a value piece to Cleveland's offense. Ice is shooting 49% from the floor and 38% from behind the arc.
Then there is the defense side of Okoro's game. He's making a legitimate case for making it on an all-defense team at the end of the season and currently owns a defensive rating of 113.
Just ask Damian Lillard, who has mightily struggled when matched up with Okoro, how good of a defender the Cavs wing is.
Any trade that Okoro is involved in needs to solidify the Cavaliers as an Eastern Conference contender. He's having too good of a season to trade away if it doesn't help the team right now.
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