The Cleveland Cavaliers have a little bit of a size problem in the wing position. Of their three key players who can play the small forward position (Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro and Max Strus), Caris LeVert is the only player above 6-foot-5. LeVert stands at 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-10 wingspan.
Along with his length and size, Caris LeVert is the only true playmaker the Cavaliers have coming off the bench. Although there has been some buzz about the Cavs moving LeVert since he joined, it would be wise for the Cavaliers to hold on to him for his playmaking and size. Also, the Cavaliers are set to hire Kenny Atkinson - who has a successful history with Caris LeVert and may be able to restore more production from him in the upcoming season.
If the Cavs hold onto LeVert, they still need to prioritize building their wing depth with another solid big wing, preferably a veteran. Cleveland showed significant improvement once they had two more veteran leaders in Strus and Georges Niang. The return of Tristan Thompson helped establish a grittier post mentality, too. If the Cavaliers explore the trade market, they should leverage one of their young wings in Isaac Okoro via sign-and-trade to add another vet.
Why Trade Isaac Okoro?
Isaac Okoro is the Cavaliers' best perimeter defender, but his offense leaves much to be desired. He has improved his shooting a significant amount over his four-year career, shooting 39 percent from three-point range last season (up from 29 percent his rookie season). Okoro also has great athleticism when driving to the basket with open space. However, Okoro has yet to show an ability to create offense in the half-court and only seems to be comfortable shooting wide-open threes, thus inflating the three-point percentage.
Okoro has also struggled to find any offensive footing in the most important part of the season, the NBA playoffs. In his 17 playoff games, Okoro is averaging 5.8 points per game on 38 percent field goal percentage and 27 percent three-point percentage. If he is unable to become an offensive threat in the postseason, it will be harder to keep him on the court especially if the Cavs choose to hold on to both Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen who cannot hit shots from the outside with consistency.
Not being able to create offense doesn't mean he is not a valuable player in this league, but with the Cavaliers acquiring Max Strus last offseason, it may have taken away a lot of Okoro's value to this Cavaliers team. Max Strus is also a strong perimeter defender but is a much stronger shooter and an overall more experienced and polished player. The Cavs would benefit from moving Okoro for a larger wing who can bring more on the offensive end.