The Cavaliers have reached an agreement to re-sign free-agent swingman Caris LeVert, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Agent Austin Brown tells Wojnarowski that it’ll be a two-year, $32M deal.
Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com had reported in the days leading up to free agency that LeVert would be offered a contract in the range of $15M-$18M annually, so the terms come as no surprise. At that price, Cleveland still has the flexibility to continue adding to its roster while remaining below the luxury-tax line.
When the Cavaliers first traded for LeVert in 2021, they envisioned him as a scorer and playmaker who would frequently have the ball in his hands. Following the emergence of Darius Garland and the acquisition of Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland asked him to play off the ball more in 2022-23, an adjustment which was reflected in his statistics — LeVert’s 18.7% usage rate was easily his lowest since his rookie year, and his 12.1 points per game were well below the 18.5 PPG he averaged across the three previous seasons.
However, LeVert adjusted to his new role without complaint and expanded his game. His .392 three-point percentage last season was a career high, and he took on more challenging defensive assignments to alleviate the pressure on Garland and Mitchell.
LeVert’s new deal puts him on track to return to unrestricted free agency in 2025 at age 30.
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