3 Cavaliers Who Won’t Be in Cleveland By the End of the Season

The Cavaliers made some noise last season by reaching the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2018. While a first-round exit isn't what the fanbase wanted, it left them craving even more success in the upcoming campaign.

There won't be too many new faces on Cleveland's 2023-24 roster. Georges Niang and Ty Jerome were the only free agents signed while Max Strus and Damian Jones were acquired through trades. There's also rookie Emoni Bates, who was selected 49th overall at the draft in June.

The Cavaliers' roster isn't guaranteed to look the same throughout the upcoming season, though. Players could underperform while enticing trade offers might pop up, meaning certain players might not be with the team anymore once the 82nd game is played.

Here's a look at three Cavaliers who might not be in Cleveland by the end of the 2023-24 NBA season.

Cavaliers Trade Candidates

1. Isaac Okoro

Wing depth was one issue for the Cavaliers last season, but that was addressed with the additions of Strus and Jerome. The result of those two moves is that Isaac Okoro is now expendable.

Okoro — the fifth overall selection in 2020 — hasn't lived up to the hype in Cleveland. While there's no denying his defensive capabilities, his lack of offensive upside makes it hard to justify his being the Cavs' starting small forward.

While the 22-year-old finished with solid .494/.363/.757 splits last season, he only averaged 6.4 points on 4.7 shot attempts per game. Furthermore, he's averaged exactly 10.7 points per 36 minutes in each of his first three seasons.

A glance at Okoro's playing time also reveals that Cleveland is losing faith in him. He went from averaging 32.4 minutes as a rookie to 29.6 as a sophomore before playing just 21.7 minutes per contest last year.

At the end of the day, a change in scenery is beneficial for both sides. Okoro needs to see if a fresh start helps spread his wings while the Cavaliers desperately need a starting wing who can contribute on both ends of the floor.

Throw in the fact that he's a restricted free agent at the end of the campaign, and I have a hard time envisioning Okoro lasting much longer in a Cleveland jersey.