The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to believe that Caris LeVert is a winning player who is key to their team’s success, and they have both been proven wrong and proven right with that assessment. After trading a first-round pick for LeVert two seasons ago, they brought him back on a two-year contract this summer to remain a key part of the rotation.
They have certainly leaned into that on the court this season, both due to injuries and a belief in LeVert’s two-way impact. He has always been at his best filling in when one of the Cavaliers’ starting guards has missed time, and with Darius Garland missing half of the season thus far, LeVert has averaged a career-high 33.1 minutes per game.
While LeVert deserves credit for his improvement on defense, he is still a difficult fit off-ball on offense; he is best deployed on-ball, likely with bench units, and when the Cavaliers are fully healthy his impact is diminished. That may mean now is the perfect time to sell-high on LeVert.
There will be NBA teams with interest in LeVert as a bench scorer and competent two-way wing, and his $15.4 million salary this season can be used as matching salary in any number of deals. We evaluated one specific trade idea recently, but LeVert could be in a deal for a larger two-way forward, help at point guard or even in a blockbuster trade for a starter.