The Cavs flamed out this year and have some major decisions to make. There are multiple rumors of the team shopping both Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. With the success the Pacers have had in this year’s NBA Finals, I don’t think it’s time to hit the panic button. That said, there’s only one player in the league who’s both available and worth the Cavs breaking up their “Core Four” for: Giannis Antetokounmpo. With that in mind, I’ve laid out the team’s picture-perfect offseason.

It all starts with finding a team to take Isaac Okoro’s contract. The Nets are the obvious choice. While dumping Okoro’s deal isn’t required for a Giannis trade to work (see the less in-depth trade I posted on my profile), it is necessary to re-sign Ty Jerome, a vital part of Cleveland’s bench unit. If the Cavs trade Garland, re-signing Jerome becomes non-negotiable. The team will need a facilitator, and Ty already has great chemistry with the roster. Adding Giannis is a huge change on its own — the Cavs should do their best to maintain continuity elsewhere.

By trading Okoro, the Cavs would have enough room under the second apron to offer Jerome an Early Bird contract starting at $12.8M, with 8% annual raises — totaling $58M over 4 years. Jerome is expected to draw non-taxpayer MLE interest in free agency (projected at ~$14M in Year 1 with 5% raises, totaling $60M over 4 years). So I’d say Cleveland can confidently keep him with this offer.

With Jerome re-signed, let’s break down the Giannis trade. Casey from A.M. Hoops has a great video explaining Milwaukee’s situation (linked here: https://youtu.be/XPZ6VTLlr4M?si=jIvC_yZMbcadszeE).

If the Bucks move Giannis, two things are true:

1) Milwaukee doesn’t control its own draft picks. They’ll need both picks and win-now young players in return. A full rebuild is off the table. Adding Garland and Allen keeps them competitive in a weaker Eastern Conference, while also giving them control of four first-rounders (three swaps and one unprotected pick). That’s a serious return.

2) The Bucks are a well-run, professional organization. If Giannis requests a trade, I’d expect them to prioritize the best offer, but also to “do right by him” if there are comparable bids. In my opinion, the only team that could truly outbid Cleveland is OKC. All the other rumored teams either are offering better picks with worse players or are unrealistic.

So what’s next for the Bucks in that scenario? Simple: flip the rest of the roster for assets and build around Garland, Allen, and their younger guys.

For the Cavs, the final step is rounding out the bench. They’d likely use veteran minimum deals to fill out the roster, ideally signing a reliable backup center willing to join a contender for a shot at a ring.

In summary: I think this is Cleveland’s perfect offseason — and unlike most trades posted on this site, it’s at least semi-realistic.

What do you all think?

Should the Cavs pull the trigger on this? Is it enough to land Giannis? Should they trade Okoro just to re-sign Jerome, even if no other big moves happen? Let me know in the comments below!