2021-2022 Cavaliers General Discussion: Trade Deadline Edition

[Ohioplayer00]

You are right that in principle Levert fits great, he plugs a lot of holes at the same time - supplementary playmaker with DG, backup PG when DG is out, SF size when we need a more conventional 3, can play with any 2 of our 1-3 guys.

I’m just worried that he’s not that good.

He immediately becomes our 3rd best player behind DG and Mobley

 

[foucault87]

He immediately becomes our 3rd best player behind DG and Mobley

I am not sure he is better than Love or Allen today...

 

[CavsKermit]

He immediately becomes our 3rd best player behind DG and Mobley

Lol, Jarrett Allen might get named an all star today.

 

[FrontPageNews]

Stop messing around and go get Kevin Durant and let's win this thing.

Brooklyn is 2-8 in their last 10 and there is unhappiness all over that place.

Durant winning a championship here would be the ultimate slap to LeBron's face too. You know KD is petty like that.

(I know it's not happening but my goodness would the league be in trouble.)

ETA: He also fits our 7 footer mandate.

Cedi and Lauri for KD. Call it in now.

 

[foucault87]

Cedi and Lauri for KD. Call it in now.

I think thats not enough for Cedi. We should get Thomas and a pick back

 

[Jscc]

• Luka Doncic is pretty young and a very good playmaker. Spotty on D and a mediocre shooter. I still really like his combination of size and playmaking though. I would be willing to give up a first here.

I like how you slotted an MVP candidate between Dennis Schroeder and Jerami Grant.

 

[cavsfever]

Can I just say that I'm loving the NBA right now? The superteams all all eating themselves. The stars who 'stayed put' are doing well. I'm a Golden State away from beginning to love the league again.

LOL I feel the same way except Golden State without Durant actually does count as an organically created team with stars who stayed put. Nevertheless, still hate them!

 

[cavsfever]

I wish there was a perfect wing player we could get who is young, a shooter, good playmaker, at least neutral on defense, can play on and offball, and is willing to take a backseat at times. If that player exists, he is likely outside our reasonable price range. We are going to be settling some of those things regardless of who we get, not to mention potential contractual hurdles.

EG is all of those things but young and a wing. If he was on a one year deal, this would be a no-brainer. Get EG to be our 3rd guard for this year and call it a wrap. But he has a long expensive contract and is not getting any younger.

Levert is young enough, a ball dominant playmaker, and maybe (?) willing to take a backseat. But his shooting is a bit of a question and his off-ball play isn't super great. Not to mention his up and down defensive performance. There are definite negatives, but I do think Caris comes close to meeting some of the above criteria. One bonus with him is that he is known to be a lunch pail guy and is already close friends with Jarrett Allen. Some relevant injury concerns here too, beyond the kidney issues last year.

In terms of some other dudes we have been linked to

• Harrison Barnes would be interesting as he is a neutral to plus defender, young enough, and can play offball. I worry that he isn't enough of a playmaker to create his own shot, let alone for others. He doesn't solve our dependence on Garland problem, but would be an excellent fit at 3/4 long term. I view Harrison as a move for next 3+ years and not this year.
• Alec Burks is basically a cheaper EG with a shorter deal. He is weaker as a playmaker and defender but about the same level as a shooter. I don't mind him as a stopgap, but if they ask for more than Rubio+2nd, I hang up. Dont want to give up major assets for a short rental.
• Luke Kennard is probably the best shooter of all these guys. He is a better playmaker than people give credit for but he won't be able to run an offense reliably. He is also somewhat of a defensive liability. On the plus side, he is young, went to the best school in NC, and is relatively affordable. Again think he has some of the same issues as Barnes in that we are still really dependent on Garland.
• Kemba is too old and has had too many recent injuries. Do not want.
• Dennis Schroeder would be a one year rental. I doubt we have to give up much, DPE and a 2nd maybe. Could work as a temp combo with the Kennard/Barnes moves but I am not a big fan of Dennis at all. He is a much worse version of what the pessimists think Collin Sexton is. He can playmake a bit, create inefficient shots, and is garbage on D. And he hasn't had a great locker room history...
• Luka Doncic is pretty young and a very good playmaker. Spotty on D and a mediocre shooter. I still really like his combination of size and playmaking though. I would be willing to give up a first here.
• Jerami Grant would actually hit all the criteria I listed above except the very last one. He is a versatile defender, turned himself into a decent shooter and playmaker, and can work on and offball. The problem is he wants shots like a number 1 option when his skillset is much better suited for a number 3 or 4 option. The fact that he left an ideal situation in Denver with Joker just spoonfeeding him buckets to go fill up empty nets with a tanking Detroit should tell you all you need to know about him.
• Gary Harris is a decent fallback if we can't swing Burks as a temporary rental. He is a pure 3nD guy and doesn't do much more. Again, doesn't address our playmaking problem but overall a nice player. I would give up Rubio+2nd max here. If we are trading with Orl, I would rather try to snipe one of their spare young guys (Hampton, Okeke?).
• Ben Simmons. Lol no.
• Brodric Thomas. He is just sitting there. We can easily get this guy. Elite playmaker, elite shooter, elite defender. Only thing missing is the elite height. Get off your hands Ferry.

In the end, I expect us to pick up someone no one has mentioned here that will end up looking like a steal. My early guess would be Nas Little.

Coby White might be available from Chicago, but I doubt we could afford the price.

 

[cavsfever]

LeVert will always be taller and I strongly suspect he'll always be the better defender (which is an admittedly low bar). A lot of people argued that LeVert still had more upside when he signed his deal at 24 (he's only 27). He did not. As far as Sexton, $18M per won't be *great* for him if he doesn't realize this immense growth his biggest fans project, it will be viewed as a bad contract.

There is huge homer bias / wine and gold colored glasses when it comes to evaluating Sexton around here. Not a single team or fan base around the league views Sexton in anything like the way we do -- there was almost no trade talk around him even before his injury.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

I am not sure he is better than Love or Allen today...

I'm pretty sure he isn't better than either. He's a volume scorer who doesn't play very good defense. Allen obviously plays good defense, and both he and Love are much more efficient than is Lavert.

 

[Lyuokdea]

Then you probably want to avoid using words like "abysmal" to describe him.

To clarify - I don't think he's an abysmal player - I will be happy if we get him for Rubio and a 1st.

If your goal is to bring in Levert to be the primary ball handler on the second team - and the second scoring threat if we are behind and need to ignite some quick offense - then I think he'd be great. He can initiate an offense, has some history with Allen, is big enough that he can play alongside Garland and give Garland a little break on the offensive side.

The poster above me said he'd fit in well as a catch and shoot threat when Garland is running the offense. And that doesn't make any sense -- he is in fact abysmal at that role. Levert is around a 32% 3PT shooter in catch and shoot situations. He's a square peg in a round hole for that role -- and if that's what we want to do with him long term - we should just keep running with Okoro and Osman, who have similar catch and shoot percentages and are both better defenders. Or alternatively - if that's the role we want -- we should go out and get a guy like Gordon or Hield who are actually really good at spot-up threes --- which certainly is another position we are missing on this team (since Windler is more or less unplayable).

 

[Cavatt]

LeVert will always be taller and I strongly suspect he'll always be the better defender (which is an admittedly low bar). A lot of people argued that LeVert still had more upside when he signed his deal at 24 (he's only 27). He did not. As far as Sexton, $18M per won't be *great* for him if he doesn't realize this immense growth his biggest fans project, it will be viewed as a bad contract.

Taller is true. I think it is the only real advantage Caris has. He isn't the better defender. I don't think you can say that with confidence. He regularly gets targetted while Collin is usually targetted more off ball as he is annoying on ball.

Collin scores better from everywhere.

The playmaking thing is amazing as well. He is half an assist more per 100 poss

He's taller. A lot of people who are "better than Sexton" fit in that category. THey are taller and older than him

 

[WorldWideWoe]

Not going to pretend to have scouted LaVert. This team is in dire need of someone other than Garland who teams respect driving and penetrating.

With no Garland on the floor, teams spread out around the perimeter and all we can do is pass outside of the three point line. It usually ends up in a very raw Mobley contested off balance iso, a late in the clock awkward entry pass to a big, or a long mid-range pull up by a non shooter.

Anyone who can collapse a defense and get them moving around is fine with me.

 

[mds]

• Luka Doncic is pretty young and a very good playmaker. Spotty on D and a mediocre shooter. I still really like his combination of size and playmaking though. I would be willing to give up a first here.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

The offense is fine when Garland is on the floor, but when he's off we have a problem. Nobody can break down the defense and there's a lot of throwing the ball around with nobody getting a decent shot. It's painful to watch. It's improved slightly since they put Goodwin in there but can we trust him to keep the points coming in the playoffs?

What LeVert would bring is a guy who can create his own shot and also distribute when Garland is on the bench so the offense doesn't grind to a halt. Two nights ago the Pacers were playing the Bulls without Sabonis, Brogdon, and McConnell. LeVert was the only legitimate scorer still standing so he had to take on the load. He went 19-for-26 and scored 42 points while also distributing 8 assists.

We have guys like Okoro, Allen, Love, Markkanen, Osman, Wade, and Stevens who just have no ability to beat their man off the dribble. When Garland is out scoring points is like pulling teeth. LeVert could help with the team's biggest problem and that's why he is their top target.

Acquiring LeVert would create a problem next year, however, because he and Sexton have a similar skill set.