The Cavaliers made a mistake trading for Caris LeVert
In Game 2 against the New York Knicks, Caris LeVert was one of the best players on the court. He played physical defense on Jalen Brunson and scored 24 points on efficient shooting. The Cavaliers won going away and LeVert earned himself a promotion into the starting lineup.
The following game LeVert shot worse from every level and finished -21 as the Cavs’ offense dissolved and the Knicks won by 20. That two-game turnaround was the LeVert experience in a nutshell. One game he drops 30-5-5, and the next he goes 3-for-11 with five turnovers. LeVert’s skillset is duplicitous with the starters, and only once every few games does he step up to make an impact despite it.
LeVert is on this team because the Cavaliers thought he could be their answer at shooting guard. Months before they traded for Donovan Mitchell the front office made a deal for LeVert, sending the Indiana Pacers the second-round pick that would become Andrew Nembhard and this year’s Cleveland first.
In trading for LeVert, not only did the Cavs commit to a player who was a poor fit with this roster (arguably before the Mitchell deal, and absolutely after it) but in doing so they hampered their ability to make a trade. At this year’s trade deadline, the Cavaliers didn’t have a first-round pick available to them to trade, putting them out of the running for most available wings. Without LeVert the Cavaliers would need a replacement, but they would have the ammunition to do so.