The Cleveland Cavaliers cut their losses in the Isaac Okoro experiment this summer. When they were ready to send him packing from Northeast Ohio, the Chicago Bulls were sitting there with open arms. With the NBA trade deadline coming up, the Bulls may not be as hasty to give up on their new wing.
Sam Amick of The Athletic hinted at which teams could be readying themselves for a major makeover ahead of Feb. 5. The Bulls were thought to be one of the teams who will be looking to offload talent before the deadline arrives.
Amick wrote, "The Chicago Bulls are also believed to be sellers, with a bevy of expiring contracts for players like Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu and Kevin Huerter who could make an impact elsewhere."
Who is notably missing from that list of trade candidates? That would be Okoro, of course. Granted, the Bulls wing does not fit with the rest of the group there — missing a deal that is set to expire. Even so, Okoro may have just shown Chicago enough to give him an extended stay in the Windy City.
Isaac Okoro should survive the trade deadline in Chicago
Realistically, one would imagine if an NBA team was willing to approach the Bulls with a good enough offer before the deadline, they would seriously consider moving on from Okoro. The former Cav is far from untouchable.
However, at only 24 years old, there is enough reason for the Bulls to keep evaluating what they have in the man they acquired from the Lonzo Ball trade.
Okoro still has an extra year left on his current contract after the 2025-26 season. The former top-five pick will make $11.8 million in the following campaign before hitting unrestricted free agency in 2027.
There has been a regression to the mean for Okoro when it comes to his viability as a shooter. During his first 15 games of the season, the newly-arrived Bull was shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc.
After missing some time due to injury, Okoro came back and only shot 29.2 percent in that department during his next 15 outings. That has given him a percentage of 33.7 on the year as a whole.
Whether Okoro's shot is dropping is such a big factor of how deployable he is. There is genuine 3-and-D upside to be found with him if those long-distance looks fall.
For the Bulls, they have no reason to rush Okoro out of town. That should mean him being settled in Chicago for the immediate future is the expectation. By contrast, the man traded for him, Lonzo, faces a much more uncertain reality in Cleveland.