Cavs news and links for Tuesday, September 3rd.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have justification for committing to their core this summer. One can reasonably bet on the internal growth of Evan Mobley or the rejuvenation of Darius Garland.
But that same faith shouldn’t be extended to the supporting cast. It’s time to do something. Something like trading Caris LeVert.
LeVert is the most obvious supporting player for Cleveland to move. He’s good enough to have trade value but not so good that he’s irreplaceable. His overlapping skills only further solidify the need for a trade.
What LeVert does best is already being provided by the starters. And what LeVert struggles to bring is the exact thing Cleveland needs from its bench. LeVert isn’t a stabilizing presence. He’s been consistently inconsistent for his entire career.
The Cavs would benefit from exchanging LeVert for a supporting player with a more neutral baseline. There’s a reason why you find role players like Bruce Brown or Alex Caruso on championship teams more often than players like Jordan Poole. Sixth men who can steady the ship are more valuable in the playoffs than those who can hijack the wheel and give you a sporadic 30-point game.
Playing LeVert-Roulette is no longer worth it. Not when the Cavs have glaring positional needs elsewhere. The ideal supporting player can operate without the ball, score efficiently and be trusted to make good decisions. Potential trade targets such as Rui Hachimura, Trey Lyles and Larry Nance Jr. represent the type of move I’m advocating for.
Making a trade becomes easier if other Cavaliers can supplement some of LeVert’s value. The lack of an alternative shot creator on the bench is what has made the Cavs front office hesitant to pull the trigger. A stellar rookie season from Jaylon Tyson or a breakout from Isaac Okoro (who is still a restricted free agent) would solve this.
You might think replacing LeVert is too difficult and that another year of patience is the right move. After all, a constant wave of injuries last season made it difficult to see the full picture. But LeVert’s role has been blurry for three seasons now. We shouldn’t expect it to magically snap into focus — it’s time to move on.
The 17th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft and a Second-Team All-Rookie, Tyler Zeller spent two seasons in Cleveland before being part of a massive salary dump to help bring LeBron James back home in the summer of 2014.
Zeller was never able to stamp himself at the NBA level. He wasn’t much of an interior scorer or rim protector. He didn’t have enough strength or athleticism to pound the glass. And well, he didn’t have the shooting touch to expand his range as the NBA progressed into the space and pace era, either.
Still, Tyler and his two brothers (Cody and Luke) made the Zeller family just one of six in league history with three members to reach the NBA. That’s cool, I guess.
