Cleveland Cavaliers don’t make any moves

On Feb 10, 2023

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) shoots against Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Livers (12) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

INDEPENDENCE — The NBA watched a flurry of moves around the league ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, as the Brooklyn Nets were dismantled and a few teams in the West separated from the pack.

The Cavs, meanwhile, never found the type of trade they felt would significantly improve their standing in the Eastern Conference. And thus, they decided to stand pat, and a front office that is often active this time of year decided to hold off from making any deals after not being able to find the right trade partners.

“Just from a trade standpoint, we just didn’t feel like anything was going to really move the needle for us,” said Cavs GM Koby Altman shortly after the 3 p.m. deadline passed. “I think you guys know me well enough to know I scoured the market and talked to every team I could. We could have made a move that was lateral, multiple moves that were lateral, that I didn’t think appreciably made us better. And I really wanted to see what this group looked like together, fully healthy, that we’ve seen in the last week, week and a half, and the potential of this group, which we’ve seen right in front of our eyes, continue to grow.”

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The Cavs’ injury issues this season played a role in the front office believing their internal options had as much upside as anything the Cavs could have worked out in a trade given their salary cap and draft pick circumstances, much of went toward Donovan Mitchell this summer. The near-constant shuffling of the rotation has led to the Cavs only having a few weeks, if that, of actual time on the floor at full strength. Ricky Rubio is a major part of that, as he recently returned from a torn ACL that ended his 2021-22 season.

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“I think there’s value in continuity. I think there’s value in giving this group a runway and sometimes as a GM you just say to yourself, ‘Don’t mess this up,'” Altman said. “And I think that was a big key for us this deadline. It was not easy for me. You guys know I’m volume heavy, but to take a step back and realize the growth we’ve seen already, mixed with the results. … So with that, I didn’t see anything that was appreciably going to make us better and put us over the top. And so I’m happy, I’m really happy with where we are and where we’re going.”

Isaac Okoro is a key part to the Cavs’ intrigue in their internal options. Okoro’s NBA tenure has had its ebbs and flows, but while the team searches for the right fit at the No. 3 spot in the starting lineup, Okoro as of late has shown glimpses he could fill that role to a larger degree. In his last four games, Okoro has averaged 12.8 points per game and has been red hot from the floor, shooting 75 percent over that stretch. That won’t continue to that degree.

But with Okoro’s defense and a more efficient offensive showing, Rubio’s return to the rotation, Caris LeVert finding his role and other factors, the Cavs didn’t want to mess with a locker room presence they see as a major positive if it wasn’t going to be an obvious upgrade.

Cleveland’s success means front offense didn’t want to tinker with progress at trade deadline

The Cavs having the fifth-best record in the NBA with a starting lineup that is tied for the second youngest (23.2 years old) in the league led to Altman and the front office not wanting to disrupt any progress just for the sake of making a move.

“We’re gonna have to go down the stretch here and battle for our position. We’re gonna have to go and, hopefully knock on wood, go into a playoff series and see what that feels like,” Altman said. “And I’m excited about about that. And that’s the growth. That’s the maturation that I want to see from this group down the stretch. And really take a step back and let them experience this kind of basketball that’s very, very new for us, and give them the runway to achieve, have setbacks and grow from those experiences. But it’s a really, really exciting place to be. And it’s a huge reason why I just didn’t feel like don’t tinker with stuff.”