Will Cleveland Cavaliers Look To Extend Caris LeVert's Contract?
The Cleveland Cavaliers have captivated headlines over the last week, as their acquisition of Donovan Mitchell has shocked many around the NBA. The New York Knicks were heavily favored to trade for Mitchell, but after they extended RJ Barrett on a new four-year rookie extension, the Cavaliers and Jazz were able to reach an agreement on a deal.
With Mitchell now in Cleveland, the Cavaliers have suddenly elevated themselves in the Eastern Conference playoff picture and they are now a young, high-potential team that could be a problem for many years to come.
Their core group of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley is getting all the attention right now, but the success of this team could very well be determined by their secondary depth and other key talents.
One of those players is Caris LeVert, who the Cavs traded for ahead of the trade deadline last season. LeVert ended up holding a key role out on the perimeter for Cleveland a season ago and he is now heading into the final year of his contract ahead of the start of the 2022-23 season.
Will the Cavaliers look to reach a contract extension with LeVert ahead of him becoming an unrestricted free agent next offseason?
As of right now, it seems unlikely that the team will look to extend the 28-year-old wing and according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, “there’s no rush for Cleveland to do anything right now regarding a Caris LeVert contract extension.”
One of the main reasons why it looks unlikely for the Cavaliers and LeVert to agree to a contract extension over the next month or so is simply because there are a lot of unknowns on this roster after trading for Donovan Mitchell.
Cap-wise, the Cavs sit just under the tax line for the 2022-23 season and outside of their core group, nobody’s role is defined right now. As Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com stated on Scotto’s podcast, Cleveland has yet to decide who will start at small forward this upcoming season and LeVert will likely be in the mix.
Should he be the fifth starter for the Cavaliers, then Caris LeVert’s value will likely rise due to the fact that he will see at least 25 minutes per game and have opportunities to put up starter scoring numbers. However, should he be utilized as the team’s “sixth man,” then LeVert’s scoring opportunities will be lessened and he will not see starter-like minutes.
These two different roles have a huge impact on what kind of number LeVert will see on his next contract, especially since the league as a whole does not tend to open up their checkbooks for bench players, even if they are in consideration for the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award.
Only playing a total of 19 games in Cleveland as well, the Cavaliers may very well want to see LeVert play a whole season and embrace his role with this young team. Caris LeVert will remain extension-eligible through the 2022-23 season before he is set to become an unrestricted free agent.
