The Cleveland Cavaliers have added a significant piece to their roster just days before the NBA trade deadline.
News broke shortly before 4:30 PM Sunday that the Cavaliers were acquiring Caris LeVert from the Indiana Pacers; you can view more as far as the reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski here.
LeVert’s name had been linked to the Cavaliers for several weeks, and the rumors had been heating up recently.
In the deal, Cleveland sent Ricky Rubio to Indiana, their first-round draft pick this season and their second-round pick via the Houston Rockets from this season, and a future 2027 second-round pick via the Utah Jazz. It was rumored that Indiana was asking for potentially more in any deal involving LeVert, but Cleveland was able to land him without giving up any key pieces of their current rotation.
While giving up two decent draft picks for the 2022 draft is tough, the Cavaliers are turning those picks into a proven player in LeVert. With the Cavaliers competitive window now wide open, using draft picks to acquire proven talent is something they could surely be doing more of in the future.
The addition of LeVert makes sense because the Cavaliers were seeking perimeter help since Collin Sexton went down with a season-ending injury, and Rubio himself.
Over the years LeVert has developed into a reliable NBA scorer, but the biggest issue for him over the years has been his health. LeVert played in 71 games back in the 2017-18 season but since that year he hasn’t played in more than 47 games.
Cleveland added a proven scorer to an already talented roster, though, and LeVert’s addition to the Wine and Gold will be a welcomed one for several reasons.
However, there are two realistic expectations for the newest member of the Cavaliers, and we’ll get into those here.
Realistic expectation No.1: LeVert’s addition will take pressure off Darius Garland on offense
LeVert will bring his scoring ability to a Cavaliers team that, in their current state, needs an injection of offensive firepower to the lineup. We’ve seen first hand over the past four games with Darius Garland out of the lineup, Cleveland is struggling at times to generate offense.
This season, in 39 games, LeVert is averaging 18.7 points per game and is shooting nearly 45 percent from the floor, albeit just 32 percent from beyond the arc.
In LeVert’s last game as a Pacer, he scored 42 points on 19-of-26 shooting against the Chicago Bulls. LeVert has shown the ability to create for himself on offense and has been effective with the mid-range pull-up.
This will help out Darius Garland greatly. Pairing LeVert with Garland in the backcourt gives Cleveland a fairly dynamic backcourt duo. While Garland will still be aggressive and look to create for himself and his teammates, the addition of LeVert will make teams pay if they focus too much attention on the Cavs point guard.
With two prolific scoring threats in the backcourt, it should keep the defense honest more often than not. But with Collin Sexton out, the Cavaliers have missed having a consistent scoring threat from the two-guard position.
It is unknown how the Cavaliers will use LeVert in the rotation when he first suits up, but a good role for him early on while getting acclimated would be a scorer off the bench to provide some instant offense.
LeVert, while he does not have the assist numbers like Garland, averages 4.4 assists this season and can not only do damage scoring the ball but can be a facilitator at times.
While LeVert’s scoring ability overall will be a welcomed addition, he should be able to help out in a specific scoring role for his new team.
Realistic expectation No.2: LeVert can be a go-to scorer down the stretch
It may sound cliche, but every team needs that guy who you can throw the ball to down the stretch and trust them to get a bucket.
For as much of a lightning rod, Collin Sexton seems to be whenever you utter his name. One thing you cannot deny is his ability to get a bucket when the Cavaliers needed one.
Cleveland missed having a go-to scorer with Sexton out of the lineup for much of the season.
Enter LeVert.
LeVert’s ability to go one-on-one and either hit a mid-range shot or get to the basket is something this Cavaliers team was missing. With Garland handling the point guard spot, he will be able to potentially create opportunities to get LeVert solid looks down the stretch.
LeVert never quite got going in Indiana after coming over from the Brooklyn Nets, but now on a young up-and-coming team, LeVert will have the opportunity to thrive in a defined role. No one on this Cavaliers team is asked to do too much, and the same will go for LeVert.
All that will be asked of him is to come in and excel in a role like every other member of the roster.
While it may take some time for LeVert to adjust to playing with a new group of teammates, he should be able to come in and add a consistent scoring threat.
After years of acquiring assets and building through the draft, the Cavaliers are finally cashing in their chips and are building quite a talented, well-rounded team in the process.