Sending off those who don’t play for those who can play, can the Bulls seize the last opportunity to stop the loss in time?

According to the authoritative ESPN reporter Shams Charania, the Cleveland Cavaliers reached a deal with the Chicago Bulls. The Cavaliers sent Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls and obtained Lonzo Ball from the Bulls. Shams also said the Cavaliers completed the deal because they were ready to lose substitute point guard Ty Jerome after the free market opened.

In fact, the Bull's idea is quite clear, and Ball's health is really bad. Although he returned from injury this season, he was reimbursed in advance for the season. I believe that the Bulls no longer have the ability to provide Ball with more help and support in this situation. Leaving Ball is also meaningless for the functions at this stage. In this case, sending Ball away is also an ideal choice. As for Okoro, although his performance in the past few seasons has not improved significantly, he has played more than 65 times in four of his five seasons of his career. Although his attendance rate is not particularly high, he can basically remain at a high level. On the other hand, Okoro is also the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. He has excellent physical talent and athletic ability, and he is only 24 years old. Although he has some stagnation in his growth, he still has some potential to tap.

In the NBA field this season, Ocorro played 55 games in 82 games, averaging 19.1 minutes per game, averaging 6.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.3 blocks, and 0.4 turnovers and 1.9 fouls. He shot 46.4%, three-point shooting percentage 37.1%, and free throw shooting percentage 71.7%. In the playoffs, Ocorro played 9 games in total, with averaging 14.2 minutes per game, averaging 4.6 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.1 blocks, and 0.4 turnovers and 1.4 fouls. He shot 50% from the field, 37.5% from three-point shooting percentage and 62.5% from free throws.

Okoro's performance this season is not outstanding, but this is actually closely related to the decline in his playing time to a large extent. If he can get more stable playing time and more ball rights, his performance will also go further on this basis. Okoro's current contract expires in the summer of 2027, with his salary of $11 million next season and his IDE salary of $11.81 million in the 2026-27 season. With Ball's attendance rate in recent seasons, the Bulls were able to send him away and exchange him for a qualified rotation player, which was also a last chance to stop the loss. I don’t know if Okoro can perform better after joining the Bulls.