4 Cavaliers who are playing for their future in Cleveland

No. 4: Caris LeVert is playing for his future with Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers invested a lot in Caris LeVert. They traded a first-round pick and a high second (#31 last season) for LeVert, whose presence on the team made it difficult for them to add salary at the Trade Deadline. They have given him starts, plenty of minutes and lots of organizational focus over the past 13 months.

It’s not that LeVert has been bad, but he just isn’t the right player to give a large role to on a team with Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell. His 3-point shooting is fine, but he thrives with the ball in his hands; his off-ball utility is much lower. And while he plays hard on defense, he doesn’t have the strength, instincts or lateral fluidity to be a lockdown perimeter defender.

LeVert probably deserves a contract of $15 million per year, as shot creation and playmaking are such valuable skills and he brings them with good on-ball size. He just isn’t a good fit on the Cavaliers, and they won’t want to hand a large contract to LeVert this summer if he is such a difficult fit.

He’s a part of the rotation now, so if he can step up his off-ball impact and make a larger impact down the stretch and in the playoffs, perhaps the Cavs talk themselves into re-signing him. More likely, a strong finish will pave the way for a solid contract in free agency with another team.

The Cavaliers will have some important decisions to make this summer as they look to maximize the rotation around their core of stars. Whether the above four players are a part of the future in Cleveland may just depend on how they play the rest of this season.