The Cleveland Cavaliers appear to love Caris LeVert. That isn’t meant to be a slight by any means, but an honest appraisal of the situation. They traded real draft capital last February to add him and gave him the first crack at a starting job. He is quite commonly closing games at the 3.
The Cavs aren’t the only team to like him, either. The Indiana Pacers traded for him in 2021 and seemingly moved him only because they were heading for a rebuild (Tyrese Haliburton said ‘no thank you’ to that plan). The Cavs outbid multiple teams, including the New York Knicks, to trade for him.
NBA teams will come calling for Caris Levert – who will have the best offer?
It will therefore come as no surprise that there is interest in Caris LeVert ahead of this year’s Trade Deadline. LeVert is a big guard at 6’6″ who is not a doormat on defense, which makes him a solid option to pair with a smaller guard in the backcourt. LeVert isn’t an elite creator but he’s pretty good, and whether he starts or comes off the bench he has a lot to offer in the right situation.
Which teams could come calling? Let’s highlight three teams that could make trade offers for Caris LeVert. Would the Cavs say yes to any of them? Let’s take them one at a time and find out.
Cavaliers’ trade partners for Caris LeVert: Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks have decided what their lane is and stayed firmly in it. Luka Doncic is an MVP candidate putting up historic numbers as the high-gravity center of a heliocentric offense. The Mavericks are so committed to running everything through Doncic that they didn’t even sign a third point guard until well after the season began (Kemba Walker) and they just cut him!
The Mavericks are a natural suitor for Caris LeVert because he can immediately help them on-ball without them giving up their desire for size. He can fill a similar role on the Mavs as he is on the Cavs, coming off the bench to play some minutes alongside an on-ball star. The difference is that he will be frequently called upon to run the second-team offense himself, while in Cleveland either Donovan Mitchell or Darius Garland is on the court at all times.
The other reason the Mavericks make sense is that they have a lot of midsize salaries that they can trade. LeVert makes $18.7 million this season, a number the Mavericks can match by trading varying combinations of Tim Hardaway Jr., Dwight Powell, Reggie Bullock and JaVale McGee.
Would the Cavaliers make a trade to send LeVert to the Mavericks? Perhaps, but probably for a cost the Mavs are unwilling to pay. LeVert is not a great fit on the Cavs, but he’s also a very talented player who helps them out now as a title contender. Trading him for shakier wings could make for a better fit and a much worse player.
Unless the offer bowls them over, or they include Josh Green, this one seems unlikely.
Cavaliers’ trade partners for Caris LeVert: Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards should probably be resetting their roster right about now. They are right up against the luxury tax line with large sums of money committed to veterans, including their supposed star in Bradley Beal, without team success to show for it. They have a losing record and are in 10th place in the East; they aren’t digging themselves out of it anytime soon.
Yet instead of looking to find value for their vets they will likely double down and add more win-now help to try and get out of the Play-In Tournament in order to get barbecued by the Boston Celtics in the First Round. That could lead them to the Cavaliers to ask after Caris LeVert.
He can help the team get into their offense when Monte Morris is off the court, and he and Bradley Beal could run some two-man game attacking defenses. He has refined his lob game since joining the Cavs and could pair well with Daniel Gafford with bench units. He would essentially fill the role Delon Wright fills while adding personal shot creation to the mix.
One way to land Caris LeVert would be to work out a deal involving Kyle Kuzma, maybe with LeVert and a second heading to the Wizards and Kuzma and a smaller contract going back. Another option is to build the trade around Deni Avdija and allow the Cavs to get some pedigree in their forward rotation.
Would the Cavs make a trade? It’s possible they do something involving Kyle Kuzma, but given his inconsistent shot, they probably won’t want to pay him a large contract as their long-term small forward. This one becomes something of a long shot.
Cavaliers’ trade partners for Caris LeVert: Detroit Pistons
If the Washington Wizards are trying to win despite signs they should start a rebuild, the Detroit Pistons are trying to accelerate their rebuild when they should probably wait another year. With Cade Cunningham out for the season, and their two lottery picks from this year extremely young, the Pistons should probably focus on draft position for this season and aim for improvement next year.
Instead, the Pistons have continued to signal their intentions to keep fighting for wins. They traded for veterans this past summer in Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel and kept them rather than moving them for assets, and then flipped Kelly Olynyk for Bojan Bogdanovic. Veterans frequently get minutes in their rotation over young fliers.
That could signal they want to add a player like Caris LeVert, an adult in the room who can score in bunches and drive the offense. The Pistons are one of the few teams where LeVert would instantly deserve on-ball creation as he would instantly be their best passer. He would help the young players develop by giving them a facilitator to play alongside them. If their goal is to get better this year and re-sign someone to factor into next year and beyond, LeVert makes some sense.
The Pistons can also put together some interesting trades that would appeal to the Cavaliers. Bojan Bogdanovic is the obvious option as an excellent fit as a stretch-forward who can play at the 3 and 4. Stacking salary with Saddiq Bey is also another intriguing option. Whoever calls about Caris LeVert, it’s clear that the Cavs will have to at least consider the offers extended to them.