After acquiring Donovan Mitchell to start in their backcourt alongside point guard Darius Garland, the Cavaliers appear to be in no rush to sign Caris LeVert to a contract extension, Michael Scotto said on the latest episode of the HoopsHype podcast.
LeVert is entering the final year of the three-year, $52.5M extension he signed with Brooklyn back in 2019. He’ll earn approximately $18.8M in 2022-2023.
Prior to the trade for Mitchell, LeVert had been penciled in as Cleveland’s starting shooting guard, but his new role is still to be determined, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com, Scotto’s guest on the podcast.
Fedor expects LeVert to be in the mix for the starting small forward spot. If the Cavs instead opt to start Isaac Okoro or someone else at the three, LeVert would be the first man off the bench, serving as the primary initiator and scorer on the second unit.
As Fedor observes, LeVert’s role – and his success in that role – could go a long way toward determining how high the Cavs are willing to go on his next contract, so the team may exercise patience and let him play out the final year of his current deal.
Cleveland would be open to locking up LeVert to an extension if it’s at a team-friendly price, but there’s a feeling within the organization that he’ll want more than the front office is comfortable paying until there’s more clarity on where he fits in following the addition of Mitchell, says Fedor.
LeVert, who turned 28 in August, averaged 13.6 PPG, 3.9 APG and 3.4 RPG in 19 appearances (29.8 MPG) for Cleveland last season following a midseason trade from the Pacers to the Cavaliers. He missed time due to a foot injury and his shooting averages (.435 percent from the field, .313 percent from three) were below his career marks, but there’s a sense the former Michigan Wolverine could have more to contribute to the ’22/23 Cavs.
LeVert will be extension-eligible all the way up until June 30, 2023, a day before he officially becomes a free agent. So if the Cavs put off an extension for now, they could still try to get something done during the season.
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