Offseason Report Card: Cavaliers get an A, three Bs and two Ds for summer moves

4. Re-signed Caris LeVert

Signed to a 2-year, $32 million contract

Our discussion here is not about whether the Cavaliers should have traded two picks to the Indiana Pacers for Caris LeVert at the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline; the answer to that question is unequivocally no. Heading into this summer, however, the question became what to do with LeVert hitting free agency.

Let LeVert walk, and the Cavs probably have a more balanced rotation, but certainly less talent. Re-sign him to a long-term deal, and they are clogging the cap sheet and rotation with a player whose skillset meshes incredibly poorly with this team’s stars.

The solution? The Cavs re-signed LeVert to a two-year contract, splitting the difference and ensuring flexibility the summer Evan Mobley’s contract extension will kick in (and presumably, hopefully, Donovan Mitchell’s next contract). That’s assuming LeVert is even still around, as this deal is very tradeable as soon as this year’s trade deadline.

The Cavs love LeVert, and to his credit, he has fully bought into a lower-usage role and played the best defense he can. He’s done everything asked of him and seems to be a positive locker-room presence. Ideally, the Cavs would have found a sign-and-trade partner to go hunting for a small forward who can shoot; perhaps that move is simply delayed a few months.

Grade: B-