CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – In 2012 Caris LeVert helped Pickerington Central High School win the Ohio Division I state championship.
A decade later, he’s back in Ohio where he hopes to help the Cavaliers win another NBA title following a trade from the now rebuilding Indiana Pacers Sunday evening.
“It’s an amazing feeling. Just a couple days ago my situation was a lot different,” LeVert said during his introductory Zoom video conference. “When you’re in that situation you don’t know necessarily what you’re playing for – is it playoffs or is the team rebuilding?
“So it was a lot of different emotions there in Indiana, but here we’re playing for a championship and that’s kind of been the sentiment with the team, the coaching staff, and everyone here. I’m just extremely blessed to be in this situation.”
LeVert, who hasn’t been able to return to Indianapolis to pack and move since the trade, practiced with the Cavs for the first time Tuesday and it didn’t take him much time to feel at home.
During Tuesday’s practice he threw a few lobs to former Brooklyn Nets teammate Jarrett Allen. Both players were part of the James Harden blockbuster trade that saw Allen land in Cleveland, LeVert temporarily in Houston before winding up in Indiana.
“Just like old times,” LeVert said. “We have that chemistry going back to his rookie year and my second year. Amazing to see his growth on and off the court. So proud of him and what he’s become in this league. I know he still has a lot further to go. It’s amazing to be back with him.”
In addition to his previous relationship with Allen, LeVert is a big fan of Cavs All-Star Darius Garland. He let garland know last summer when the two ran into each other in Las Vegas.
Now they’re together in Cleveland.
“He hit me [up] as soon as I got traded and I told him I can’t wait to get going,” LeVert said.
“I love playing off the ball. I love playing next to playmakers. I think it makes everyone’s job a lot easier so I’m definitely looking forward to playing with D.G. and he’s had an amazing year and I think he’s a great player.”
To get LeVert and a 2022 second-round pick via Miami, the Cavs sent the Pacers Ricky Rubio’s expiring $17.8 million contract along with a 2022 lottery protected first-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick via the Houston Rockets and a 2027 second-round pick via the Utah Jazz.
The trade signaled the Cavaliers, who are fourth in the conference at 33-21 and just 1 1/2 games out of the top seed, return to contention in the Eastern Conference.
“We’re not done. We’re not complete yet,” Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “This piece obviously is a huge piece of what we’re trying to do. And you have to be moving in the right direction to be willing to give up picks to bring a guy in.”
Bickerstaff has been careful to temper rising expectations as the season has progressed continuously stressing that they remain a work in progress but found it difficult to hold back on what adding LeVert, who is averaging 8.7 points and 4.4 assists this season, does for them.
“It makes us more dynamic,” Bickerstaff said. “It makes us a really dangerous basketball team.”
Koby Altman, president of basketball operations, could make another move prior to Thursday’s trade deadline to shore up one of the youngest rosters in the NBA as LeVert, 27, joins 35-year-old Rajon Rondo and five-time All-Star Kevin Love, who is 33, as one of the older veterans on the team.
“It’s crazy that I’m one of the vets of the team,” LeVert said.
The young core of the team is currently comprised of 24-year-old Lauri Markkanen, Allen and the injured Collin Sexton – both 23, Darius Garland is 22, Isaac Okoro 21 and rookie of the year favorite Evan Mobley who’s just 20.
“It’s a blessing to play with such a great team that has such a bright future,” LeVert said. “For me, it’s just coming in and being myself, having fun with the game and embracing everything. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Bickerstaff is undecided if he’ll put LeVert, who recently dropped 42 in a loss to Chicago last week, in the starting lineup or bring him off the bench.
Prior to the trade, LeVert was the No. 1 worry for Bickerstaff on their Pacers scouting report. Thankfully for the Cavs, who erased a 20-point deficit in Sunday night’s win, LeVert ended up watching the game from a hotel room while he waited for the trade to be completed officially.
“It’s the silkiness of his game and how he can manage to get by his guy,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s like at an offbeat rhythm so guys that are defending him don’t know when he’s going to go, when he’s going to stop, his ability to get all the way to the rim, make the pullups. He’s a tough shot maker, so it’s really difficult to game plan for a guy like that.”
Not upsetting team chemistry remains a priority for Bickerstaff and Altman when it comes to additions and subtractions to the roster, and it’s looking like LeVert will fit in just fine.
“They’re a young team with a lot of positive energy and that’s the type of person I am, that’s the type of player I am,” LeVert said. “I feel like I’m going to thrive and feel just at home with this group.”
