Cavs are trading Isaac Okoro for Lonzo Ball

Cleveland will be adding some much-needed playmaking in the backcourt.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have made their first consequential move of the offseason. According to Shams Charania of ESPN, they’re trading Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls for guard Lonzo Ball.

General manager Mike Gansey said in his press conference after the NBA Draft that “you can’t have enough ball handlers.” The front office wasn’t just paying lip service to an issue that plagued Cleveland in the playoffs. They went out and acquired one of the most talented ball handlers and facilitators in the league in Ball.

Betting on Ball is risky, but his skills are undeniable. There really aren’t many players who are exceptional point-of-attack defenders and can also run an offense as smoothly as Ball. On top of that, he’s 6’6”.

This allows him to be an incredibly useful point guard when he’s healthy. His low usage also enables him to fit in well with other high-level scorers, like the Cavs have with their three All-Stars. Ball should be exactly what the Cavs need.

The issue is Ball’s availability. He’s played in just 70 games since the 2021-20 season due to knee injuries that kept him out all of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

Ball made a return to the court last season. He played 35 games with the Bulls and averaged 7.6 points, 3.3 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 0.5 blocks on .366/.344/.815 shooting splits in 22.2 minutes per outing.

Okoro was the fifth overall pick in 2020. Last season, the 24-year-old averaged 6.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game on .464/.371/.717 shooting splits in 55 games.

While Okoro showed signs of being a productive defensive-first wing, that hasn’t fully translated to the court. The three-point shot was a concern throughout the early part of Okoro’s career. He’s worked on that to become a reliable outside threat, but there’s more to offense than just shooting if you’re a shooting guard or small forward.

It has often felt that Okoro hasn’t been involved in the offense as a basketball player. He was mostly relegated to standing in the corner or screening for others instead of being a functional member of the offense that could pass, dribble, and shoot.

Whether or not that’s the offensive scheme’s fault or Okoro’s is up for debate. What isn’t is that he hasn’t been a reliable postseason option for years. This includes matchups — like this previous one against the Indiana Pacers — where they desperately needed perimeter defense.

Ultimately, Okoro’s defense wasn’t useful because he wasn’t a reliable enough offensive piece to warrant getting consistent playoff minutes.

The Cavs are trading one set of problems for another. They know that Okoro can be a useful depth piece in the regular season, but not one who has shown can be useful in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Ball will provide good point-of-attack defense while being a reliable ball handler and playmaker. Those are things the Cavs desperately need in the playoffs.

In the end, Cleveland is sending out someone who’s shown they can’t be useful in the playoffs for someone who would be useful if they’re healthy.

The Cavs are also saving a little bit of money in this deal. Okoro is owed $22.8 million over the next two seasons, while Ball recently signed a two-year, $20 million deal last February. The final year of Ball’s deal comes with a team option. Even though the move doesn’t save the Cavs much, every dollar helps when you’re dealing with the second-apron and the luxury tax.

Okoro’s contract seemed like it was going to be a burden to move based on recent reporting. Being able to get off that deal, not give up additional assets, and get a useful piece in return is a home run for Koby Altman and the front office.

We’ll see what other moves the front office makes this offseason. Ty Jerome and Sam Merrill are both unrestricted free agents.

Trading for Ball gives Cleveland more insurance at the backup point guard if Jerome were to leave. That said, it would be best if they could also retain Jerome and use him more as a reserve shooting guard, which is a role that likely suits him better.