Caris LeVert didn’t end up being quite the difference-maker the Cleveland Cavaliers were hoping for from the Indiana Pacers post-trade deadline they were hoping for this season, particularly with Collin Sexton being out.
LeVert did have some nice outings as he began to found more balance with Cleveland, and I’m not glossing over those. Overall, though, he had 13.6 points per contest, which were not nearly the 18.7 he had averaging with Indiana during this season prior to his trade acquisition by Cleveland.
It’s not as if he was a total dud, in my opinion, and he was seemingly receiving too much unwarranted heat among Cavaliers fans, to me, in the closing stretch of the season. I know LeVert was somewhat underwhelming, based on what the expectations for many were, and I get that.
His foot sprain coming out of the All-Star break, which caused him to miss Cleveland’s first nine post-All-Star games, didn’t help. It took LeVert even more added time on top of the in-season trade to get into a rhythm and flow with the Cavaliers, and that’s something that too many appeared to disregard.
With next season in mind, provided he is back with the Cavaliers, I do think it will pay dividends to come off an offseason with Cleveland to get further acclimated, and he should be able to have some better rapport with other guys. In other words, it won’t be entirely new for him.
Nonetheless, LeVert next season is set to be on an expiring deal, and naturally, rumors of a potential extension have been a topic of conversation. In that realm, on a recent episode of The HoopsHype Podcast with Michael Scotto, Scotto said the following in a report on the subject, with Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com making an appearance in that episode.
"“Scotto: One executive told me, ‘I think Caris LeVert will get around $20.5 million per season on an extension. That’s a little too rich for me, but I think Cleveland will pay him that if they want to extend him.”‘ “Another executive said, ‘Caris is interesting due to his injury history. A short-term extension around the number he’s on would be good value.'” He’s making around $19 million. From what I’ve heard, Cleveland would like to keep LeVert. That’s why they traded for him with that intention… I’d surmise that both sides would like to make this (extension) happen at this point.”"
From there, he was Fedor’s follow-up to Scotto’s report/comments on the topic.
"“I think they would too, but I think there’s another layer to this. The Cavs don’t have to do anything. He’s under contract next year, so if the contract negotations don’t go the way they want them to go, he’s still under contract in the final year, making it a potential trade chip. I’m not saying that’s what they ultimately want, but that’s in their back pocket, just like last year’s negotiations with Sexton.”"
It’s abundantly clear that the Cavs have to consider all the factors involved with a potential LeVert extension.
Both Scotto and Fedor essentially echoing how the Cavaliers seem interested in a LeVert extension wasn’t surprising, with how the team traded for him. That was what many had to have been thinking upon Cleveland swinging the deal for LeVert.
The results weren’t the greatest for LeVert, as we alluded to, and he converted on just 31.3 percent of his three-point attempts in his 19 regular season games post-trade with the Cavaliers.
Granted, deep shooting has not been necessarily what he’s been known for much of his career, most of which was with the Brooklyn Nets prior to him being dealt to Indiana as part of the James Harden-centric deal early on in 2020-21. LeVert’s a career 33.3 percent shooter from three.
He’s a polished pull-up player inside the arc, though, and LeVert is a capable playmaker that can at times be a primary facilitator for stretches as well. There were some stretches where he was pretty impactful as a playmaker with Cleveland, too.
In any case, when it comes to a LeVert extension, as both of these reports seemingly alluded to, the potential for an extension is obviously there, and it’ll continue to be a topic of conversation throughout the offseason. But with that in mind, it’s clear that the Cavaliers must consider all the factors involved with a possible LeVert new deal.