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The Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly come to terms to bring swingman Caris LeVert back to Cleveland for a third season with the team.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the news that LeVert would be returning to Cleveland.
Instant Analysis
Despite not putting up the best numbers of his career last season, LeVert had a very significant impact on the Cavs success. He thrived as the team’s sixth man for much of the year and had an outstanding season from beyond the arc, shooting a career-high 39.2 percent on 4.4 attempts per game. That number ranked second on the Cavs behind Darius Garland in terms of percentage.
The Cavs could ill-afford to allow LeVert to walk for nothing, and getting him to return on a two-year deal for $32 million should be considered a big win. He’s a person that isn’t short on fans inside the organization.
Last season, LeVert grew into a role as a third ballhandler off the bench behind Garland and Donovan Mitchell. He was able to shoulder more of a load offensively with the second unit, or when one of the other two were sidelined. LeVert also took on much more of a defensive responsibility than he had earlier on in his career.
“Caris in one of our first meetings said to me, he said, 'I'm extremely adaptable. Just tell me what you need from me.'” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said late last season. “And he's lived up to that. Whatever we've asked him to do, he just goes out and tries his best to get it done.”
Bringing back that type of player is a really good move for the Cavs. The $16 million per year deal for LeVert is a really good number for the Cavs. If they need to pivot at some point during this deal, the contract is a very tradeable number. Locking him up for another two seasons in Cleveland was a very good start to free agency for the Cavs.