Despite the fact that the Cleveland Cavaliers have dealt with several major injury blows to the likes of Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio, this team has still been able to produce a noteworthy campaign thus far. However, it is also because of this same reason that the Cavs have been heavily linked to a couple of roster moves prior to the February trade deadline.
As it turns out, however, the Cavs haven’t been extremely active in the market. As a matter of fact, the front office is more than willing to take on the second half of the season with the lineup they currently have. According to Jason Lloyd and Kelsey Russo of The Athletic, Cleveland’s hesitation towards making a significant move prior to the deadline stems from their unwillingness to mess with this team’s current groove:
“[Caris] LeVert makes a lot of sense. He’s the right age, his contract is easy to absorb if the Cavs use Rubio’s contract as the vehicle to make the money work (they’d obviously have to include other assets) and LeVert likely wouldn’t disrupt the chemistry the Cavs have right now. That’s a big deal in all of this. This team realizes how special this group is and they haven’t shown an inclination to do anything major that might disrupt it.”
As the above report states, Indiana Pacers wing Caris LeVert, who is rumored to be on the trade block, is one of the relatively big names that has been linked to the Cavs. LeVert is a legitimate threat on the offensive end and you would think that his arrival should only work to benefit Cleveland. However, what needs to be seriously considered is what the Cavs will need to give up in exchange for a player of LeVert’s caliber.
Amid the challenges they’ve faced this season, this Cavs side has exhibited its resiliency and ability to overcome adversity. They’re playing some pretty good basketball right now — they are currently third in the Eastern Conference with a 30-19 record — and the last thing the front office wants to do is to run the risk of disrupting this team’s chemistry.