Cleveland Cavaliers start, bench, cut: Max Strus, Isaac Okoro, Caris LeVert

Caris LeVert should have never been on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The front office, desperate to grasp onto the first success this franchise had seen since LeBron James left (again), made a win-now move in February of 2022 to add a player in LeVert who could help them down the stretch but wasn’t a good fit with the pieces the Cavaliers had in place.

That reality only increased when they added Donovan Mitchell the following summer, despite LeVert dedicating himself to playing defense and finding his spot on the team. His coaches and teammates seem to love him, and his poor fit with the starters is at war with his mentality to do whatever it takes.

LeVert is best deployed as a secondary ball-handler off of the bench in lineups where he doesn’t need to be the primary engine nor the primary wing defender, but can slot in as the secondary option for both. That’s a narrow needle to thread. His lack of off-ball shooting and shutdown defense make it difficult to play with a small backcourt that deserves to dominate the ball, and a big frontcourt that doesn’t space the court.

LeVert still has value around the league as a future trade chip, and his two-year contract should be useful in matching salary. He also can do enough on offense and defense not to be played off the court in the playoffs; he can play a small role off the bench if he is still around next April.