Given his skill and patchy performance over the course of his career, Caris LeVert will be among the more interesting unrestricted free agents this summer.
Before the deadline, the 28-year-old wing's name began to surface in trade discussions since his $18.8 million expiring contract seemed to be the ideal salary-match to include in any possible deal.
Nonetheless, Cleveland decided to keep LeVert, who has played roughly equally as a starter (28 games) as a sixth man (29). While shooting a career-high 37.6 percent from three, he is averaging 11.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.0 steals a game for the Cavaliers.
With the Cavaliers switching to Isaac Okoro at small forward, LeVert has the option to leave in free agency and may find a job elsewhere, but Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor reports that the team is "interested in bringing him back on a multi-year deal — at the right price" and that "LeVert not returning would be a surprise."
The Cavaliers simply cannot waste LeVert's contract slot, especially after buying out Kevin Love. LeVert is far from a perfect player or a fit on this squad, which requires three-and-D wings to complement its excellent front and backcourts.
With a max extension for Darius Garland taking effect, Cleveland is probably going to be above the cap and won't have the money to go out and sign another player around LeVert's current pay amount. LeVert's fair market value is anticipated to be $21.4 million for the upcoming season, according to ProFitX.com.
The Cavaliers must be confident that they can re-sign LeVert this summer if they decide not to trade him before the deadline.
[zombify_post]
0 Comments