Cavaliers' Former Top Pick Named Trade Candidate in Depressing Twist

The Cleveland Cavaliers have bigger fish to fry than to worry about the offseason right now, as they are preparing to face the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of their second-round NBA playoff series.

However, if the Cavaliers lose on Tuesday night, it will mark an unceremonious end their 2024-25 campaign, and it will begin a process of significant decisions Cleveland will have to make in the coming months.

The Cavs' roster will probably look a bit different next year, and while that does not necessarily mean they will be making wholesale changes, they almost certainly won't be running it back. If not for retooling purposes, than for financial constraints.

Josh Cornelissen of King James Gospel feels one player who could be on the move is Isaac Okoro, who just re-signed with the Cavaliers on a three-year, $38 million contract last September.

"With Evan Mobley's salary even higher from winning Defensive Player of the Year, the Cavaliers are going to be at or past the second apron tax line before even considering bringing back Sam Merrill and Ty Jerome," Cornelissen wrote. "Unless they want to move on from a core player, their best path to reducing their payroll is to find a team to take on Isaac Okoro."

Cleveland originally selected Okoro with the fifth overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, but the Auburn product has not materialized in the way the Cavs had hoped.

While Okoro has been a very solid defender, his offensive game has never truly developed, as he has failed to average double figures in each of his first five professional seasons. This year, he averaged a career-low 6.1 points per game on 46.4/37.1/71.7 shooting splits as he dealt with multiple injuries and saw his minutes dip thanks to a breakout campaign from Jerome.

Due to the fact that Okoro does not have a terrible contract, the Cavaliers would probably be able to find a taker for the 24-year-old, but there is also no denying the unfortunate reality that he does not exactly have much trade value at this point.

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