3 Cavaliers Who Won't Survive the Trade Deadline

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in an excellent spot heading into the February 8 trade deadline. They weathered the storm of injuries to their key players. They are now fully healthy and ready to make a run in the second half of the season and make some noise in the playoffs.

The Eastern Conference is wide open after the Boston Celtics. The Cavs have as good of a shot as anybody to claim the No. 2 seed and win a round in the playoffs. Therefore, they will likely not rock the boat too much at the deadline.

They are happy with their core four of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, but some moves on the margins to round out the rotation might be in the works.

The Cavs need two-way wings who can defend and shoot. They are hard to come by in the NBA, but if Cleveland has their eyes on someone, they will likely have to part ways with one of the following players.

1. Isaac Okoro

Okoro is having a decent season in his role. As the team's primary perimeter defender, he is tasked with guarding the most dynamic guards in the league every night. And he consistently holds his own.

However, he failed to live up to the promise he showed when he was drafted with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He hasn't been able to show much improvement on the offensive end.

Okoro is still not a reliable shooter and is one of the lowest-usage perimeter players in the NBA. He was a huge liability on the offensive end in the 2022-23 playoffs and saw his minutes reduced. There is a decent chance that will happen again this season.

Plus, his contract is expiring at the end of the season. The Cavs, who will be in a financial crunch in the offseason, might look to move on from him now. Okoro is still 23 years old, has some upside, and could be an intriguing trade chip in a package for a better all-around player.