The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the better teams in the NBA throughout the 2022-23 NBA season. They are currently in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 25-15, only 3.0 games behind the first-place Boston Celtics.
Cleveland looks like a viable contender and they will be on the lookout for upgrades in the coming weeks leading up to the trade deadline. One area that they should be looking to shore up is on the wing.
If there is one thing that can be categorized as a weakness for the Cavaliers this season it is the small forward position. They have rotated players throughout the season to start on the wing in between Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen but with very little success.
Lamar Stevens, Caris LeVert, Dean Wade and Isaac Okoro have all received a shot but none have really separated themselves from the pack. Cedi Osman has been a solid contributor off the bench, but they need someone that they can insert into the starting lineup.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Caris LeVert & Cleveland Cavaliers Updates
Making a trade is likely their best avenue to achieve that. Given how much they traded to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Mitchell, the Cavaliers don’t have too many assets remaining. On a recent episode of the Wine and Gold Talk Podcast, Chris Fedor of cleveland.com revealed that around the league, LeVert is being mentioned as the team’s best trade asset.
“I’ve talked to a few different people around the NBA and they believe that Caris LeVert is the best asset that the Cavs have in terms of a trade because he can help teams right now. And he can also help their salary because he’s on an expiring contract. And beyond that, his salary number matches a lot of guys that are perceived to be available around the NBA.”
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Caris LeVert & Cleveland Cavaliers Updates
It would be interesting to see just how much the Cavaliers could get in a trade package centered around LeVert. He has been struggling, as he is having the worst shooting season of his career, making 41.3 percent of his shots overall and 36.6 percent of his 3-point attempts. The 12.6 points per game that he is averaging is the least in a season since his second in the NBA.
As Fedor pointed out, LeVert’s contract can be matched easily. And on an expiring deal, that alone could have some value around the league as teams look to get their financials in order for 2023.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Caris LeVert & Cleveland Cavaliers Updates
Jae Crowder of the Phoenix Suns and Bojan Bogdanovic of the Detroit Pistons are two players to keep an eye on as they would both upgrade the wing for Cleveland. Crowder would provide an experienced 3-and-D player, while Bogdanovic would be another scoring option to take pressure off of Garland and Mitchell.
