Cleveland Cavaliers Seem Undecided On This Potential Impact Trade

The Cleveland Cavaliers could trade Isaac Okoro, but they seem to be balking on the potential return.

Mar 5, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) celebrates after hitting a three point basket during the first half against the Boston Celtics at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers have not signed any free agents this offseason, making them one of just three NBA teams to not do so.

The other two? The Boston Celtics, who just won the NBA championship, and the Los Angeles Lakers, who re-signed LeBron James.

The Cavaliers have some pretty tight financial constraints, so the only way for them to truly improve (or alter) their roster is via trades, and the only player they can realistically move is Isaac Okoro.

Okoro is a restricted free agent to whom Cleveland tended an $11.8 million qualifying offer. He has generated very limited interest on the open market, hence the reason he remains unsigned.

The Cavs could ultimately move Okoro in a sign-and-trade, and one potential scenario would involve the Cavaliers sending the 6-foot-5 wing to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Dorian Finney-Smith.

Finney-Smith had previously been mentioned as a possible option for Cleveland, partifcularly given the fact that the Cavs are in dire need of someone who can adequately defend larger wings.

While some Cavaliers fans may think this is an easy trigger to pull if you're president Koby Altman, it really isn't that simple.

Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com notes that the Cavs may have to also send a draft pick (probably a second-rounder) to the Nets in order to complete an Okoro-for-Finney-Smith swap, which may give the Cavaliers pause considering they have limited draft capital to begin with.

But on the flip side, Finney-Smith comes with the benefit of elevating his game in the postseason, as evidenced by the fact that he averages 10.5 points per game on 44.6/41.7/73.5 shooting splits in the playoffs compared to 8.3 points per game off 43.5/35.5/72.3 splits during the regular season.

Meanwhile, Okoro has been an unmitigated disaster in the playoffs, most recently logging 5.5 points a night while posting a meager true-shooting percentage of 44.6 percent in 12 postseason games this past spring.

Plus, while Okoro is a tenacious perimeter defender, Finney-Smith brings more defensive versatility to the table thanks to his 6-foot-7 frame.

The main two caveats are the fact that the Cavaliers would probably have to surrender a draft choice and that Finney-Smith is 31 years old while Okoro is just 23.

But Cleveland may not want to wait around for potential growth from Okoro. Donovan Mitchell just signed a three-year extension, but he has a player option during the summer of 2028.

The clock is ticking for the Cavs, and trading Okoro for Finney-Smith may be their only plausible path to improvement this summer.