Both the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers have shown interest in Cleveland Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert before the NBA trade deadline, Sports Illustrated’s FanNation writer Joey Linn wrote in a Sunday article.
Hoops Wire Senior NBA writer Sam Amico wrote other teams are hearing that LeVert “could be had” last week.
“So far everyone from the Pistons to the Hornets to Clippers and Jazz has expressed an interest in LeVert,” Amico wrote. “And yes, even the Lakers have kicked around the idea of a LeVert trade in their scanning of rival rosters in their search for more help, sources told Hoops Wire.”
LeVert is averaging 12.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in 48 games played for the Cavs this season. LeVert was benched after 14 straight starts to begin the season, rotating in and out of the starting lineup 11 more times, according to Basketball Reference.
“(The benching) was kind of mutual,” LeVert said before a late-November game against the Philadelphia 76ers, adding he wanted to come off the bench for the Cavaliers.
The trade price the Cavs paid for Caris LeVert and guard Donovan Mitchell may be standing in the way of gaining a consistent 3-and-D wing in the starting five, wrote Yahoo! Sports senior writer Jake Fischer in early January.
“The Cavs’ expunged virtually all their draft capital of this decade to acquire Mitchell and LeVert, and won’t be able to move their 2024 first-rounder until the night of next year’s NBA draft,” wrote Fischer. “If Cleveland pinpointed a specific veteran on a significant salary, such as Houston’s Eric Gordon, the Cavs would need to either send LeVert and another rotational player out the door — a far higher price, sources told Yahoo Sports, than Cleveland officials have the appetite for.”
Amico mentioned several teams, including the Clippers, have “considered making a run” at forward Cedi Osman, who was listed as the team’s top trade candidate in a late-November list from HoopsHype.