Rival teams are getting the sense that Cavaliers guard/forward Isaac Okoro and power forward Kevin Love are not “readily available” ahead of the NBA trade deadline, per Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report.
That’s not to say either player is totally off limits in trade talks. It just means the Cavs seemingly have yet to float either’s name in any such conversations. It also suggests that other teams would have to present a darn good offer to land either player.
As Pincus wrote, that’s a “notable shift” when it comes to Love, who seems to have gone through a basketball rebirth of sorts this season. Love is now coming off the bench and appears to be enjoying his time in Cleveland more than ever.
Meanwhile, Okoro has been viewed as a potential trade chip to land more backcourt scoring. But as far as anyone knows, the Cavs have not actually discussed the idea of trading Okoro. Most of it is based on media and fan speculation.
That said, the Cavs have been repeatedly linked to Pacers guard/forward Caris LeVert, as well as Rockets guard Eric Gordon and Kings guard Buddy Hield more recently. But most of the talk has centered on LeVert, as I relayed in this post.
Basically, the NBA trade deadline is Feb. 10, and about the only thing we do know is president of basketball operations Koby Altman will be a busy man over the next few weeks. He’ll explore anything and everything.
As I relayed last week, the Cavs could potentially explore moving the contract of Ricky Rubio, as well as last season’s leading scorer, Collin Sexton. Both players are out for the season.
“While the Cleveland Cavaliers were initially thinking extension with Ricky Rubio, his recent knee injury may set the two down a different course,” Pincus wrote. “Rubio’s expiring $17.8 million contract, along with the rights to Collin Sexton, could prove valuable to a team that hopes to re-sign the young guard to a value deal.”
Still, Cleveland (27-18) currently sits in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, so the franchise is far from feeling desperate to make a deal.
For much more on the Cavs and their potential trade targets, check out the latest Cavs on the Break NBA Podcast.
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