Emeka Okafor has drawn interest from numerous teams this offseason and it doesn't come as a surprise because any team in the NBA, especially a contender, would love to get their hands on a veteran rim protector who comes at a discount. Okafor, however, is unavailable for the moment due to injuries and would probably get back in the court late in the season according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders:
Last I heard, a number of teams had reached out to Okafor's camp to express interest but it sounds like he won't be available for another few weeks since he's reportedly still dealing with some neck issues. He could be someone that joins a team after the start of the season.
Andrew Melnick of Fansided believes that Okafor would probably sign with a team some time in February after the All-Star break when he is fully healthy. Teams would be pushing for playoff seeding by that time and its very likely that the veteran big man would draw interest from contenders when he becomes completely healthy.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are one of the contenders who have reportedly been courting Okafor this offseason with the hopes off adding another big body and rim protector in their roster. Without any depth behind Anderson Varejao, the Cavaliers are considerably thin in their front court and this could cause some problems to the team in the course of the season per King James Gospel.
But the Cavs need Okafor now and not late in the coming season which means that the team could be moving on from him at the moment and exploring other options in the center position. Or they could choose to sign a banger for a non-guaranteed contract and sign Okafor in February just in time for their run in the playoffs. Either way, no matter how much the Cavs want Okafor to be in their roster now, he is just not healthy enough to suite up for the long grind of the regular season.
The market for big men has dried up this offseason and there aren't many other options better than Emeka Okafor who would certainly come at a bargain. He is a serviceable veteran who could provide solid rim protection and rebounding off the bench and is certainly worth a shot if he is healthy. Unfortunately for the Cleveland Cavaliers and every other team in pursuit of him, he just isn't healthy for the time being.
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