Isaac Okoro may not have gotten the contract he hoped for out of restricted free agency, but he still comes away with a pretty good one.
Okoro and the Cavaliers have agreed to a three-year, $38 million contract, keeping the defensive wing in Cleveland, Okoro’s agents told Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
It was expected the sides would reach a deal before camp opened and this contract — at just below the mid-level exception — seems fair, with $33 million of the contract fully guaranteed, reports Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Okoro was seeking a raise from the $8.9 million he made last season (the final year of his rookie deal) and he got it, even if restricted free agency didn’t give him much leverage (other teams expected the Cavaliers to match any reasonable offer).
Okoro averaged 9.4 points a game last season and shot an improved 39.1% from 3, but the consistency of his offense is still the question mark. Okoro has been a key defensive wing for the Cavaliers, a plus defender for them at a key position, but the Cavaliers wanted more offense, which is why they went and got Max Strus. Okoro likely comes off the bench and splits time at the three with Strus this season.
The Cavaliers have brought back the same core players — Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley all signed contract extensions this summer as well — and the franchise is betting that new coach Kenny Atkinson can spark some motion in the offense and help the team take the next step forward from 48 wins, the No. 4 seed and a first-round playoff win. That’s going to be a challenge in a stacked top of the East, but the Cavaliers are betting the core players can add up to more than we have seen in past years.
Okoro is now locked in as part of that core.