Why proposed Cavs trade for Raptors forward isn’t worth the squeeze
Proposed Cavs trade for Otto Porter: Why it doesn’t work
There is no question that Okoro has had a very disappointing start to the season. He is also just 21 years old, an excellent defender of guards and is beloved by his teammates. If he can find his way to that ever-elusive 3-point shot, improving in accuracy and frequency, the rest of the package is there for him to be a valuable part of the backcourt rotation.
The Cavs are building for the future, and trading Okoro now would be a win-now move. Those aren’t necessarily bad, but this team doesn’t need to be in a rush to push in the chips for this specific season. Okoro has a lot of runway still to go to improve.
Even if he doesn’t, this deal may not be the best way to use Okoro’s value and contract to improve the team. There may be trade options out there that could bring a more expensive player back, and the Cavs would be stacking contracts such as Okoro, Cedi Osman and Dylan Windler to get to the needed total.
The other side of this deal matters too. Porter Jr. is 29 years old with a long, complicated injury history. Last season was the first time he even played in 60 games since 2017-18, and he only got to 63. He has already missed all but eight games this year and there is no timetable for his return. Why would the Cavs trade for a player who is more likely to be unavailable than available when the Cavs need him?
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The healthy version of Otto Porter Jr. absolutely helps this team, and probably more than Isaac Okoro will this season. Even so, this would be a near-sighted trade that would surrender one of the team’s best movable trade assets for a low-percentage chance at a veteran role player. That’s not a deal worth making, and certainly not right now.