CLEVELAND, Ohio — While much of the offseason conversation around the Cavs has focused on simply shedding Isaac Okoro’s contract to duck under the NBA’s punishing second apron, a recent Wine and Gold Talk podcast episode ventured into more creative territory: what if the Cavs could flip Okoro for a player who provides more meaningful impact?
The concept is simple but potentially game changing.
Rather than viewing Okoro’s contract purely as a financial burden to offload, could it be leveraged as a matchable salary to acquire a player whose on-court contributions better justify that $11 million price tag?
Chris Fedor, cleveland.com’s Cavs beat reporter, mentioned several intriguing targets that could theoretically work in such a framework: “If you could turn Isaac into Lonzo Ball, Isaac into Jonas Valančiūnas, Isaac into one of those kinds of players ... It’s another creative way to use his contract.”
The financial mechanics of such deals require careful consideration under the NBA’s complex salary matching rules.
As Fedor explained, “The number one thing that you look at for any type of trade is how close are the salaries? And Lonzo’s is an interesting salary because for this season he made around $20 million. But when 2025-2026 starts, the new league year, it drops to 10 million ... Isaac’s contract for this year is 10.1, for next year it’s $11 million.”
These types of ideas represent the sophisticated team-building approach required under the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, where the second apron significantly restricts teams’ flexibility.
For contending teams like Cleveland, finding ways to maximize value within tight financial constraints becomes crucial.
The challenge, of course, is finding a trade partner that values what Okoro brings to the table. Despite his elite defensive abilities and competitive spirit, his offensive limitations have apparently dampened interest around the league.
“As I’ve been told over the last couple of days, the interest in Isaac seems to be pretty chilly at the very least,” Fedor revealed, suggesting that converting Okoro’s contract into a more impactful player might be easier said than done.
Nevertheless, the concept represents an intriguing pathway forward. Rather than viewing the Okoro situation as a simple binary—keep him or dump him—the Cavaliers could explore this middle ground where his contract becomes a vehicle to acquire a player who better fits their competitive timeline and roster needs.
Here’s the podcast for this week:
_Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Cleveland Wine and Gold Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions._