Isaac Okoro Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Cavs’ Isaac Okoro Not Close To Returning

January 28th, 2025 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers confirmed on Tuesday (via Twitter) that forward Dean Wade has been diagnosed with a right knee bone bruise and will be out for at least the next two weeks, as Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com reported earlier. According to Fedor (subscription required), it’s possible another Cavs forward Isaac Okoro, will face a similar injury recovery timeline to Wade.

As Fedor writes, Okoro missed eight games in late December and early January due to sprained AC joint in his right shoulder. He returned to action on Jan. 8 and appeared in five consecutive contests, but aggravated the injury in a Jan. 16 matchup with Oklahoma City and has been unavailable for Cleveland’s past six games.

Okoro hasn’t done much on-court work yet and the Cavs are committed to taking it slow with him in order to get him fully healthy for the home stretch of the season, Fedor writes.

“Shoulders are tricky — as the complete amateur I am,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said recently. “He will never say this, but you could see that he was feeling it even before he got hit again. A lot of these guys aren’t 100 percent. But a shoulder is tricky. It’s like a pitcher. That is what you’re shooting with. Any kind of discomfort there … we’re going to figure that one out. I told him, ‘We need you as close to 100 percent as possible. You don’t have to rush this thing.’ I want him thinking long term. We need him down the road.”

The banged-up Cavs have also been down another wing, with Caris LeVert having missed five straight games due to a sprained right wrist. While LeVert appears to be trending toward a return, he continues to feel pain in that wrist when he tests it out, most recently in an on-court shooting session on Monday, per Fedor.

“I think that’s more day-to-day,” Atkinson said. “That’s my feel with it. Still not feeling right. These are sensitive things when it comes to shooting the ball. If a guy is not feeling it, we err on the side of caution.”

Max Strus, who didn’t make his season debut until December 20 due to health issues of his own, came off the bench in his first 13 appearances of 2024/25, but has started each of Cleveland’s past five games and figures to remain in that role for the foreseeable future with most of the team’s other small forwards battling injuries, Fedor writes.

Cavaliers Interested In Nets’ Cameron Johnson

January 17th, 2025 at 9:38am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Cavaliers have expressed interest in acquiring forward Cameron Johnson from the Nets, Joe Vardon of The Athletic reports.

Cleveland’s front office has at least discussed Johnson as a potential target and inquired about his availability. Some rival team officials believe Cleveland will make a serious run at acquiring Johnson, Vardon adds.

The Nets have already dealt away Dennis Schröder and Dorian Finney-Smith in their zeal to open up cap space and pile up draft assets. Johnson, who has been battling an ankle injury in recent weeks, might be their most valuable remaining asset. He’s averaging a career-best 19.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 33 starts. Johnson is also shooting a career-high 49.9 percent from the field, including 42.8 percent beyond the arc.

Johnson is in the second year of a four-year contract that includes $90MM in guaranteed salary and $18MM in incentives. The Cavaliers’ desire to acquire Johnson is tempered by the fact that the Eastern Conference leaders lack draft capital and do not want to move any of their top eight players. While they do have plenty of second-round picks to dangle, the Cavs can’t deal any of their first-rounders earlier than the 2031 draft.

Caris LeVert‘s expiring $16.6MM contract would be a logical piece to include in a proposed deal with a rebuilding team, though he’s averaging 11.1 points and 3.8 assists per game in a reserve role.

Cleveland has been searching for a starting small forward for several seasons. Dean Wade and Isaac Okoro have received the bulk of the starts at that position. Wade might be more suited to a backup power forward role, Vardon notes, and Okoro has been unable to establish himself as a consistent starter since he was drafted in the 2020 lottery.

The Cavs have the top-rated offense in the league but they have one of the NBA’s smallest backcourts. Their 134-114 loss to the Thunder on Thursday was an example of how opponents with length on the perimeter can hold them down. The playoffs tend to be slower, more halfcourt-oriented slugfests and Johnson could help them in that area.

Central Notes: Mitchell, Okoro, J. Smith, Dosunmu

January 8th, 2025 at 6:18pm CST by Arthur Hill

Donovan Mitchell already made up his mind to re-sign with the Cavaliers before last season ended, but he wanted to find a way to turn the team into a title contender, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. The solution he came up with was to sacrifice some of his role in the offense so that other players — particularly Evan Mobley — could get more involved.

That strategy has worked perfectly for the Cavs, who have the league’s best record at 31-4 and are in the midst of a 10-game winning streak. They’re hosting the West-leading Thunder tonight in the most anticipated game of the season.

“When I signed back here my first intention was we need to get the most out of Ev,” Mitchell said. “Never played with a guy like Ev. So, how do we get the most out of that partnership? Saw it in that Boston (playoff) series. He has the talent. It was more about him believing it on a nightly basis. I want him to think, ‘I’m that dude.’ Now you surround him with a guy like myself and it makes it tough on any defense. Just being on the floor with him allows him to kind of play a certain way. It’s allowed myself to grow too.”

A five-time All-Star, Mitchell has revitalized basketball in Cleveland since being acquired in a trade two-plus seasons ago. He could have made almost any demand to sign the extension, so it was somewhat surprising that he wanted to share the ball more. He and new coach Kenny Atkinson started devising the revamped offense and increased usage for Mobley when they met for lunch in June.

“That was my growth,” Mitchell said. “When people ask, ‘What is the next level? What do you work on?’ This is what it takes. You don’t know what is going to come of that. It’s when you really have to sit down and ask yourself, ‘What do you want? Do you really want to win? How badly do you want to win?’ When I say these things, I’m still going to be myself but understanding when to pick the spots and being smart about it. It’s not easy. But it’s what’s needed. Everyone knows me as a scorer, but with this group it doesn’t have to be 30 every night. My job as a leader is to figure out where I impact the game that night. How do I make winning plays? It’s about being able to embrace that, understand that and be OK with that — and I am.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

Isaac Okoro is active for tonight’s contest against Oklahoma City, Fedor states in a separate story. Okoro was cleared to return after missing the last eight games with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder. He’s expected to come off the bench in a limited role, with Dean Wade staying in the starting lineup, according to Fedor. Shooting specialist Sam Merrill will miss his third consecutive game with a sprained right ankle, Fedor adds, as the Cavaliers still haven’t fielded a fully healthy team in any game this season.
Before hosting the Bulls tonight, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle talked about the offseason loss of Jalen Smith in free agency, tweets Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. He said the organization was hoping to keep Smith, but couldn’t compete with the offer he got from Chicago. “We wanted him back but we were limited as to how much we could pay him,” Carlisle said. “… He had a very good year and he had a great second year for us that set him up for the Bulls. This was an opportunity he had to take because of the financial aspect.”
Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu has made significant improvement with his strained lower right calf, per K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network (Twitter link). Coach Billy Donovan said Dosunmu has started running on a treadmill and is “getting closer and closer to playing.”

Isaac Okoro Out At Least Two Weeks With Shoulder Injury

December 19th, 2024 at 12:04pm CST by Rory Maher

Cavaliers wing Isaac Okoro has been diagnosed with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder and will miss at least two weeks, which is when he’ll be reexamined, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link).

The 23-year-old was injured in the third quarter of Monday’s victory over Brooklyn, when Cleveland blew out the Nets by 29 points. Okoro finished with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting in 20 minutes.

A former No. 5 overall pick who re-signed with the Cavs on a three-year deal as a restricted free agent over the offseason, Okoro has started 16 of the 23 games in which he’s appeared in 2024/25 (21.0 minutes per game).

While his offensive role has been modest, the athletic guard/forward is often given the most difficult perimeter assignments on defense, and he’s shooting a career-best 49.2% from long distance (30-of-61).

Aside from Max Strus, who has yet to make his season debut as he recovers from an ankle injury (he was reportedly close to returning last week before experiencing more soreness than expected), the Cavaliers have been relatively healthy to open ’24/25. That’s always a helpful factor for any team, but Cleveland has certainly taken advantage of its opportunities, as the team has the best record in the NBA (23-4).

Based on the timeline the Cavs gave, Okoro will miss at least six games and his earliest possible return date would be Jan. 3 at Dallas. While he’s sidelined, LeVert, Dean Wade, Sam Merrill and — if he returns soon — Strus are among the wings who could receive more playing time.

Central Notes: Atkinson, Okoro, Bucks, Giannis, Duarte

December 17th, 2024 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Visiting Brooklyn on Monday for the first time as the Cavaliers‘ head coach, Kenny Atkinson – who coached the Nets from 2016-20 – picked up a resounding win over his old team, with Cleveland blowing out Brooklyn by a score of 130-101. Magnanimous in victory, Atkinson made it clear he harbored no ill will toward the Nets for dismissing him midway through the 2019/20 season, according to Brian Lewis of The New York Post.

“I don’t look at it that way. I just look at it as part of the story, right, part of your growth,” Atkinson said. “You have good things happen, you have setbacks, and — it’s like a player, how do you bounce back? And it was definitely a bounce back. And in the long run, the journey after Brooklyn really helped me, helped me grow as a coach. Who knows? If that doesn’t happen, maybe I’m not in Cleveland; I don’t improve as much as a coach if that didn’t happen. So I look at it more as a positive.”

While Atkinson wasn’t necessarily seeking revenge or vindication entering Monday’s matchup, he admitted that facing his former team provided an extra layer of motivation.

“I’m competitive, right? And when you have setbacks, you remember things, right?” Atkinson said. “And players do the same thing. If something happened or a team beat you or you get fired, you’re motivated. You’re motivated to prove people wrong; and that’s kind of how I took it. It’s a chip on your shoulder or whatever you want to call it. But there’s definitely some of that. I think any competitor feels the same way.”

Here’s more from around the Central:

Isaac Okoro, who has been the Cavaliers‘ starting small forward since November 4 with Max Strus still sidelined, will undergo further testing on a right shoulder injury he sustained in Monday’s win over Brooklyn, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required).
Ahead of the Bucks‘ appearance in the final of the NBA Cup on Tuesday, Jamal Collier of ESPN and Eric Nehm of The Athletic explore how the team bounced back from its 2-8 start and the role Giannis Antetokounmpo has played in the turnaround, not just as an MVP-level performer but as a more confident leader. “He was being vocal, talking about things he wanted (on the court), talking before the game, things that the first couple years he didn’t really do as often as he does now,” Bobby Portis, who has been with the Bucks since 2020, told Collier. “It’s cool to see guys’ leadership go to another level. Especially at a time of the season when it was critical for us to get back to at least playing some good ball.”
Bucks rookies Tyler Smith and AJ Johnson aren’t playing much so far this season, but they’re poised to supplement their first-year salaries with lucrative bonuses as a result of the team’s NBA Cup run and are enjoying being part of the experience in Las Vegas. Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the story and the quotes from the two 20-year-olds.
The Bulls have assigned fourth-year wing Chris Duarte to the G League for the first time this season ahead of the Winter Showcase, per the team (Twitter link). Duarte, who was acquired in the DeMar DeRozan trade in July, has played sparingly for Chicago this season and is on an expiring contract, so he figures to be a trade candidate at the deadline — playing for the Windy City Bulls in Orlando at the G League Showcase, which begins Thursday, will give him an opportunity to try to catch the eye of scouts and executives from around the league.

Southeast Rumors: Richards, Martin, Micic, Capela, Nance, Hunter, Anthony

December 2nd, 2024 at 2:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Nick Richards has drawn trade interest from a number of teams across the NBA, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, who says the Hornets center is viewed as an intriguing target due to his solid play as a starter and his team-friendly contract, which includes a $5MM salary this season and a $5MM non-guaranteed cap hit for 2025/26.

Several rival executives who spoke to HoopsHype believe it would take at least two second-round picks to acquire Richards, Scotto writes, and there’s also uncertainty about how willing Charlotte would even be to trade him, since ostensible starting center Mark Williams has been sidelined for nearly a full year due to back and foot issues. If the Hornets can’t trust Williams to be available, they may be reluctant to part with an important frontcourt depth piece like Richards.

Exploring other potential trade candidates in Charlotte, Scotto identifies wing Cody Martin and guard Vasilije Micic as two more players to watch.

After a couple injury-plagued seasons, Martin has been healthy and effective so far in 2024/25. According to Scotto, the Hornets spoke to the Cavaliers during the offseason about a possible Isaac Okoro sign-and-trade that would have sent Martin and multiple second-round picks to Cleveland, but Okoro ended up re-signing with the Cavs.

As for Micic, while he’s playing a more significant role right now due to injuries to LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann, he’s Charlotte’s third-string point guard when both of those players are healthy, having fallen firmly behind Mann on the depth chart. That makes him potentially expendable for the Hornets, and his pseudo-expiring contract (his 2025/26 salary is non-guaranteed) could make him an appealing target for a team in need of point guard depth.

We have more from around the Southeast:

According to Scotto, executives scouring the center market believe Hawks center Clint Capela may be a trade candidate this season, with potential unrestricted free agency looming in 2025. Sources tell HoopsHype that the Knicks, Grizzlies, and Pelicans are among the clubs that did due diligence on Capela during the 2024 offseason before going in different directions at center.
Hawks reserves Larry Nance Jr. and De’Andre Hunter are also viewed as potential trade candidates, Scotto reports. That’s especially true of Nance, who is on an expiring deal, has played inconsistent minutes in Atlanta, and is considered a good locker room presence. As for Hunter, his three-and-D skill set is valued, but Scotto suggests teams have some questions about his durability and may be reluctant to take on his contract, which has two years and $48MM+ still left on it after this season.
The Magic‘s offseason addition of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, along with an increased role for second-year guard Anthony Black, has resulted in several NBA executives viewing Cole Anthony as a viable trade candidate, Scotto writes. After averaging 26.5 minutes per game in his first four years in Orlando, Anthony is logging just 9.8 MPG so far this season.

Central Notes: Middleton, Winslow, Cavs, Bulls, Ivey

October 21st, 2024 at 10:54am CST by Luke Adams

Bucks forward Khris Middleton isn’t expected to be active for the team’s regular season opener against Philadelphia on Wednesday, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN. Middleton spent the offseason recovering from surgical procedures on both ankles and the team is taking a cautious approach to his return this fall, Charania explains.

Although Middleton recently expressed a desire to play in 70-plus games in 2024/25, it doesn’t come as a major surprise that he’s not quite ready for the start of the regular season. He didn’t appear in any preseason contests and head coach Doc Rivers said on Saturday that the three-time All-Star would need to play 5-on-5 before Wednesday in order to suit up for opening night (Twitter link via Eric Nehm of The Athletic).

The Bucks haven’t issued any sort of official update on Middleton, but it sounds like he’ll probably be considered day-to-day going forward, with a chance to make his season debut before the end of the month. That’s just my speculation based on comments from Rivers and recent reporting though, so we’ll keep an eye out for more news on the 33-year-old’s status.

Here’s more from around the Central:

The Wisconsin Herd, the Bucks‘ G League affiliate, acquired the returning rights to Justise Winslow and Darryl Morsell from the Raptors 905 in exchange for the rights to Wenyen Gabriel, Marques Bolden, and Deonte Burton, plus the No. 15 pick in this year’s G League draft, per Blake Murphy of Sportsnet.ca (Twitter links). As Murphy notes, several of those players are currently competing overseas, but Milwaukee signed Winslow to an Exhibit 10 contract during the preseason — securing his rights means he’ll now be eligible for an Exhibit 10 bonus worth $77.5K if he spends at least 60 days with the Herd.
The Cavaliers were much better when Max Strus was on the court last season than when he wasn’t, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, who considers in a subscriber-only story how the club will get by without one of its top floor-spacers for the next six weeks while Strus recovers from an ankle injury. Fedor views Dean Wade as the favorite to replace Strus in the starting five, since he’s a solid defender and a strong three-point shooter. Caris LeVert‘s ball-dominant game is a better fit in the second unit, Fedor suggests, while Isaac Okoro is another candidate to play with the starters.
Lonzo Ball, Matas Buzelis, and Julian Phillips are a few of the Bulls players whose preseason performances provided reasons for optimism entering the season, Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic writes in his latest stock report. On the other hand, offseason additions Josh Giddey and Jalen Smith and newly re-signed forward Patrick Williams have had up-and-down Octobers so far, as Mayberry details.
Jaden Ivey saw his role reduced under Monty Williams last season, but the Pistons guard is once again an offensive focal point under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, says Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscriber link). Ivey was the Pistons’ leading scorer during the preseason and earned praise from Bickerstaff for his efforts. “He works his tail off and then he’s playing with confidence,” Detroit’s coach said earlier this month. “When you work as hard as he works and puts as much time in, and then you play with that confidence and belief, the work is going to pay off.”

Central Notes: Rondo, Tyson, Okoro, Jerome, Duren, White

October 3rd, 2024 at 9:12pm CST by Tristan Tucker

When Rajon Rondo got married this summer, his first NBA coach Doc Rivers was one of the attendees, Baxter Holmes of ESPN writes. Rivers motivated and encouraged Rondo to get into the coaching sphere this season.

That’s exactly what Rondo is doing, as he’s serving as a guest coach for the Bucks during training camp. According to Holmes, Rondo will remain with the Bucks through the rest of the season in an unspecified role. Rondo has said he “absolutely” hopes to be a head coach some day.

“There’s a lot of factors that go into coaching,” Rondo said. “You just can’t say, I’m going to be a coach, and then everything works out and that’s how it happens. So certain personalities have to mesh, [and there’s] a lot of sacrifice. There are certain things that I’m learning. The morning meetings, the amount of hours you’re spending watching film, it’s a lot.”

Rondo declined to say whether he received any other offers from teams. However, it was reported in June that he was high on the list of preferred staff members for new Lakers coach J.J. Redick.

We have more from the Central Division:

Cavaliers rookie Jaylon Tyson — the No. 20 overall pick this year — is making a strong first impression in training camp so far, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. “Our rook has impressed me,” Max Strus said. “He plays basketball the right way. He’s mature in the way he carries himself. He’s not out here asking for the ball or trying to do too much. He’s just trying to get in where he fits in. As a rookie, that’s not easy to do always. It’s impressive to see that. It’s refreshing to have a rookie come in and do that.” All three Cavs players who were asked for their immediate standout named Tyson, who has shown a little bit of everything, including rebounding, defense, and shooting. While Cleveland has a deep rotation, there’s a chance Tyson will make an impact right away.
Isaac Okoro admitted that he considered taking the Cavaliers‘ one-year, $11.8MM qualifying offer in order to hit unrestricted free agency next year. He eventually signed a three-year contract that includes $33MM in guaranteed money. “In my head I was like, ‘Nah, I think Cleveland wants me and I want to be here.’ I wanted to be here,” Okoro said. Fedor writes in a separate piece that head coach Kenny Atkinson is considering an expanded role for Okoro, who will be expected to screen more often and diversify his game.
In the same piece, members of the Cavaliers continue to point to Ty Jerome as a standout player in camp, per Fedor. “Ty has been one of the best players in camp in my opinion,” Darius Garland said. Jerome could be a surprise member of the rotation due to the fact that he was previously coached by Atkinson in Golden State and the front office likes him.
Jalen Duren served as an effective rim-runner and shot-blocker during his first two seasons as a member of the Pistons. However, according to Omari Sankofa II of Detroit Free Press, Detroit is hoping to unlock other aspects of Duren’s game — namely his play-making. He has been working on those skills in camp, and with just three true play-makers on the roster, Duren might be leaned on sooner rather than later. “I think we’re going to let him play with the ball some,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Whether he defensively rebounds the ball and has the ability to bring it up the floor some, whether he catches it on the elbow and we play split action and he can make those reads. So I think just trying to diversify where he touches it, and then we’ll keep building from there.“
DeMar DeRozan left the Bulls for the Kings this offseason, but he’s still giving advice to Most Improved Player runner-up Coby White, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times. White is aiming to limit the number of off nights he has as a scorer after breaking through last year. “It’s got to be an every night thing. … I’ve got to build on this,” White said. “That’s what I talked to DeMar a lot about, how he prepares for every moment.“

Offseason Observations: Exhibit 10 Terms, Okoro, Current FAs, Stretch Provision

September 20th, 2024 at 5:36pm CST by Luke Adams

With the start of most NBA training camps just 11 days away (and even sooner than that for the Celtics and Nuggets), the 2024 offseason is nearing its end.

Before we put a bow on the summer of 2024, we have one more installment of our "Offseason Observations" to share today, following up on similar articles published in July and August.

Here are some of the under-the-radar cap- and CBA-related stories I'm keeping an eye on as teams around the league prepare for their media days and training camps.

The disparity between Exhibit 10 bonuses

As we've written many teams in recent weeks, when a player signs an Exhibit 10 contract with an NBA team, is waived before the regular season begins, and then spends at least 60 days with his club's G League affiliate, he's eligible to earn a bonus worth up to $77.5K.

We always clarify that those bonuses can be worth "up to" $77.5K because that's the maximum possible Exhibit 10 bonus in 2024/25 (up from $75K a year ago, having increased at the same rate as the salary cap). But not every player who signs an Exhibit 10 contract is able to negotiate that maximum bonus.

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Eastern Notes: Jovic, Battier, Okoro, Klei

September 19th, 2024 at 9:40am CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat’s Nikola Jovic will, by necessity, likely see the bulk of his minutes at power forward this season. He’s focused on taking advantage of mismatches, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

“I would say the biggest thing I was working on the most was when I’m working in the low post, when I have a smaller guy on me, I just have to punish them,” Jovic said. “That’s something I think will help our team a lot. So I would say that’s the main thing for me, other than still being able to spread the floor and everything I already did.”

Jovic, who started 38 of the 46 games he played last season, is eligible for a rookie scale extension next summer.

We have more from the Eastern Conference:

Shane Battier left his front office job with the Heat in 2021 because he wanted to explore other opportunities outside of basketball, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald relays. In an episode of the Glue Guys podcast, Battier explained his decision about leaving his post as vice president/basketball development and analytics. “There is so much in life to experience and try my hand at,” he said. “So many interesting people around the world. I’m so fascinated about learning. I turned 46 this week and I feel I have so much to learn and have so much to do in the world still. I needed to go out and explore and meet and learn. I wanted to learn new industries. It sounds very strange because I love basketball. For me to be truly happy, that’s what I need to do.”
Under the terms of Isaac Okoro‘s three-year contract with the Cavaliers, he’ll have a $10.2MM base salary this season, ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets. His salary rises to $11MM in 2025/26 and $11.8MM in 2026/27. In addition to the $33MM in guaranteed money, the contract also includes $4.9MM in unlikely incentives. Cleveland is now $1.9MM above the luxury tax line but has the flexibility to get under that figure during the season, if needed, Marks adds.
The College Park Skyhawks, the Hawks’ NBA G League affiliate, have named Steven Klei as their new head coach, according to Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Klei, 31, replaces Ryan Schmidt, who will become a full-time assistant with the Hawks. Aaron Evans has been hired as the Skyhawks’ GM.