2024 NBA trade deadline: Will the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers make any roster moves?
Ahead of the Thursday, Feb. 8, NBA trade deadline, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype broke down reporting from around the league of teams that might be in the mix to shake up their rosters.
Among those teams was the Cleveland Cavaliers, who've been among the hottest teams in the NBA. The Cavs enter Monday night's game against the Sacramento Kings with an eight-game home winning streak, as well as a 13-1 record across their last 14 games played.
With Cleveland's success, the trade rumors involving star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell — the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for January — have died down considerably. But could the Cavs tinker with the existing roster to improve for a playoff run and/or set themselves up to be better situated from a salary cap standpoint?
Here's what Scotto had to report on the Cavs leading up to the deadline.
HoopsHype breaks down Cavs' possible NBA trade deadline moves:
The Cleveland Cavaliers have withstood several injuries and gotten great contributions from role players who’ve made the most of their opportunities such as Sam Merrill, who’s shooting 43.6% from downtown, and Craig Porter Jr., who’s a candidate to have his two-way contract converted. Heading into Monday’s matchup at home versus the Sacramento Kings, Cleveland is one of the hottest teams in the NBA with a 13-1 record over their past 14 games.
The team’s core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen isn’t going anywhere despite calls from rival executives to gauge Cleveland’s interest in trading Mitchell and Allen most notably.
One Cavalier to monitor ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline is former No. 5 overall pick Isaac Okoro. The 6-foot-5 wing is eligible for an $11.8 million qualifying offer this summer, which would make him a restricted free agent.
One general manager who spoke with HoopsHype already believes Okoro can get around $14 million annually –- which would be more than the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception – thanks to his improved 3-point shooting while also being an All-Defensive team candidate, as teammate Donovan Mitchell recently noted.
In order to retain Okoro and keep the rest of their roster intact, the Cavaliers now have to consider their appetite for going into the tax for the 2024-25 season amid uncertainty surrounding Mitchell’s long-term future in Cleveland.
With that in mind, Okoro is expected to draw interest at the trade deadline. The Knicks, Hawks, Pacers, Suns and Bucks are all teams to closely monitor as all are known to have interest in acquiring a two-way wing, league sources told HoopsHype.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 2024 NBA trade deadline: Could Cavs look to move Isaac Okoro?
