Cavs Guaranteeing All But $5 Million Of Isaac Okoro Deal

The Cavaliers have Isaac Okoro back in the fold after his entire summer of restricted free agency, agreeing to a three-year, $38 million contract.

And per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, $33 million of that deal is guaranteed. “The annual salary averages out to less than the midlevel exception and a little less than the qualifying offer as well,” Fedor wrote.

Cleveland will now have the likes of Okoro, Caris LeVert, Sam Merrill and rookie Jaylon Tyson at the wing/shooting guard position in reserve. Big man Dean Wade also plays more like a small forward. Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus are considered the starters at the wing spots under new coach Kenny Atkinson.

While many suspected Okoro would just pick up his qualifying offer and test unrestricted free agency after the season, this deal theoretically keeps him part of the core. The Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets and Detroit Pistons expressed in a sign-and-trade centered on Okoro, sources told Hoops Wire.

Okoro appeared in 69 games for the Cavaliers last season, averaging 9.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks, shooting 49.0% from the field, 39.1% on 3-pointers and 67.9% from the free-throw line. 

He was selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Auburn and carries career averages of 8.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.4 blocks in 279 games. 

The Cavaliers remain one of just three teams to have not signed an outside free agent to a standard contract, clearly content with trying to run it back.

NBA writer Dan Favale of Bleacher Report urged Cleveland to re-sign Okoro in August. 

“Enough teams still have their non-taxpayer mid-level exception available that we don’t have to keep Okoro with the Cavaliers. (The Detroit Pistons also have cap space, for what it’s worth.) But the fit between these two parties continues to make sense,” Favale wrote. “This fit isn’t as right-on come playoff time. Okoro has shown he can drill wide-open threes in the regular season (38.8 percent last year; 39.7 percent after Jan. 1). But defenses still treat him as a non-threat, his efficiency has yet to translate into best-of-seven settings, and Cleveland doesn’t have the pecking-order flexibility to increase his on-ball possessions.

“That renders Okoro less valuable to the Cavs. It doesn’t make him entirely dispensable. Eating up significant regular-season minutes matters. More than that, Cleveland doesn’t have someone who can readily replace what Okoro does on defense against rival 1s and 2s— unless it’s that confident in rookie Jaylon Tyson.”

(Ashish Mathur contributed to this report.)