The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the biggest surprises of the NBA season. Darius Garland has developed into a star, and will represent Cleveland in the All-Star Game this month, and Evan Mobley is the frontrunner to win Rookie of the Year, while Jarrett Allen could still be an injury replacement in the All-Star Game.
As of Sunday, the Cavs sit at 32-21, which puts them at fourth in the Eastern Conference, and they have a decent shot at having homecourt advantage in the first round.
Still with the unfortunate season endings to Collin Sexton (likely) and Ricky Rubio, the Cavs just lack another consistent scorer who can handle the ball and make plays for other guys off that a fair amount. That’s one of the reasons the Cavs struggle sometimes late in games. They really don’t have another guard or wing on the perimeter that can consistently score on-ball and initiate for others with the ball.
Naturally, that’s why the Cavaliers are reportedly trying to trade for the Indiana Pacers’ Caris LeVert by Thursday’s deadline, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
The Cavaliers are trying to acquire Caris LeVert from the Pacers ahead of next week’s deadline. For a little twist, Indiana is on its way to Cleveland today for a game tomorrow, @TheAthleticNBA
— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) February 5, 2022
The Cavs’ trade interest in LeVert is sensible, as he’s just what they need.
Again, trying to land LeVert makes a lot of sense. On the season, he’s averaging 18.7 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 32.3 from three and 44.7 percent from the field overall. He’s also coming fresh off a 42-point, 8-assist and 5-rebound game.
Levert at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds is a decent defender, who would, most notably, give the Cavaliers another much needed scoring option who can handle the ball and help Garland with some of the scoring on the perimeter, and aid the group in the playmaking sense. He’s also 27 years old, so he can fit Cleveland’s timeline, and perhaps he could stick around for the foreseeable future, if he’s extended maybe this coming offseason.
Now, rumored potential trade target Eric Gordon would make sense too, but considering his age, LeVert’s ability to score and Caris’ comparable playmaking abilities, he’s the ideal scenario and best-case scenario for the Cavs.
Granted, per a recent report from Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Pacers were seeking “more than” a first-round pick in exchange for LeVert in a potential trade, whereas the Cavaliers were much more inclined to deal Ricky Rubio’s expiring deal, feasibly, and multiple second-round picks it appeared for LeVert or Gordon. Given LeVert’s injury woes in recent past, though, it would appear Cleveland could potentially acquire him, however, also with the Pacers’ trade rumors of late in general, too. We’ll have to see, anyhow.
Either way, the Cavs have completely exceeded everyones’ expectations this year, as they have an excellent chance to be a top 3-4 seed in the East and have homecourt advantage in the first round. I think they have a real chance to win 50 games this year, and possibly trading for LeVert would increase expectations, and would only help the chances of all those things happening.
Playoff basketball is different then regular season basketball. The game changes and it exploits all your teams’ flaws. Depending who the Cavaliers were to face in the first round, I believe Cleveland could still win a playoff series, but the lack of another reliable scoring option on the perimeter and a consistent scorer, especially in crunch time, is concerning.
I think Garland getting the max is only a matter of time and believe he’s a future superstar, but he can’t do it alone, particularly without Sexton it seems. Teams can generate a defense against that and he needs another scoring option on the perimeter who can handle the ball.
If the Cavs can get LeVert, it definitely increases their chances of winning a playoff series.