Indiana Pacers: Grading the Caris LeVert trade to Cleveland for the Pacers

The NBA trade deadline is upon us and the Indiana Pacers are the first to bite, trading guard Caris LeVert to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ricky Rubio and a handful of draft selections.

Did the Cavaliers make the right choice in trading for Caris LeVert from the Indiana Pacers?

The Cavaliers were in need of another scoring threat to pair with All-Star Darius Garland as they make their playoff push. The team is much better this season than many anticipated, as they currently sit at the fifth seed in the eastern conference.

Caris LeVert has been through a lot during his Indiana tenure, finding cancer after a physical was done and being in trade rumors throughout is a lot for any person to deal with. He handled it well and his play speaks for itself. Although he can be ball-dominant but has also averaged over 6 assists per game in previous seasons.

Their interest in LeVert has been noted for some time now. With the Injuries to both Colin Sexton and Ricky Rubio, this move makes sense for Cleveland and the Pacers can now look to develop more with Duarte and company.

Caris LeVert is averaging 18.7 points per game 4.4 assists and shooting 32.2% from behind the arc. His shot is streaky, but his scoring ability will certainly help the Cavaliers.

The Pacers likely won’t re-sign Ricky Rubio, who is on an expiring contract and coming off a torn ACL. In this, they free up a little over $20M in cap space this summer.

The Indiana Pacers got nearly exactly what they originally asked for in return for LeVert, which was two first-round picks.

They have the 2022 first-round pick which will land in the 20s and the second-round pick will be in the lower 30s as it stands. Nearly two first-round selections are pretty good returns for LeVert.

Indiana has decided on a direction to go which is a plus for the future of the team. Hopefully, this short-term loss can lead to a bright future with the young talent of Chris Duarte and Isaiah Jackson. This trade helps the Pacers to go in that direction.

The Pacers can look to the future after this down season for the team – they are currently 19-36 and have more losses than the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Grade: B+