Cavaliers Could Lose Isaac Okoro To Eastern Conference Rival

The Cavaliers could ultimately lose Isaac Okoro to a Central Division foe.

Mar 4, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) reaches for the ball beside Detroit Pistons guard R.J. Hampton (14) in the third quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland Cavaliers wing Isaac Okoro could end up being a fairly hot commodity on the free-agent market this summer, and they may already be facing competition from an Eastern Conference rival for his services.

The Detroit Pistons could be a "team to watch" in the Okoro sweepstakes, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

It certainly makes sense, as the Pistons just hired former Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff to be their own head coach. Not only does Bickerstaff have familiarity with Okoro, but Detroit has a wealth of cap space heading into free agency, so it can pay Okoro without breaking much of a sweat.

Cleveland extended a qualifying offer to Okoro on Saturday, meaning that the Cavs can match any offer made to the former No. 5 overall pick.

However, the Cavaliers will surely be careful in how they approach things with Okoro, as they obviously want to avoid an overpay given how delicate their financial situation is.

While Okoro has not lived up to expectations, he has been a fine rotational piece for Cleveland. The 23-year-old is coming off of a 2023-24 campaign in which he averaged 9.4 points and three rebounds over 27.3 minutes per game while shooting 49 percent from the floor, 39.1 percent from three-point range and 67.9 percent from the free-throw line.

Okoro's biggest selling point is his defensive prowess, which is something the Pistons could unquestionably use. After all, Detroit ranked just 25th in defensive efficiency this past season.

How much the Cavs will choose to invest in Okoro remains to be seen, especially after the Auburn product struggled mightily in the playoffs.