Cavaliers Re-Sign Isaac Okoro To 3-Year Deal

According to NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Cleveland Cavaliers have re-signed Isaac Okoro to a three-year, $38 million deal. 

Okoro was a restricted free agent. 

Restricted free agent F Isaac Okoro has agreed on a three-year, $38 million deal to stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Michael Tellem, Jeff Schwartz and Marcus Monk of @excelbasketball tell ESPN. Okoro — the fifth overall pick in 2020 — averaged 9.4 points a season ago. pic.twitter.com/dFInx3QoMS

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 14, 2024

Okoro appeared in 69 games for the Cavaliers last season. He averaged 9.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.5 blocks while shooting 49.0% from the field, 39.1% from beyond the arc and 67.9% from the free-throw line. 

The Cavaliers drafted Okoro with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft out of Auburn. He has career averages of 8.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.4 blocks in 279 games. 

Cleveland lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the 2024 playoffs in five games. 

The Cavaliers fired JB Bickerstaff as head coach and hired Kenny Atkinson, who signed a five-year deal. 

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.”