Does Caris LeVert Trade Move Needle for Cavs in Latest NBA Championship Odds?

The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off a major move prior to the NBA’s trade deadline, as they acquired wing Caris LeVert from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Ricky Rubio and three draft picks. 

Rubio, who is out for the remainder of the 2021-22 season with a torn ACL, is set to become an unrestricted free agent this coming offseason. 

The move gives the Cavs, who are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference, some much-needed scoring to help them on a playoff run. Cleveland lost last year’s leading scorer Collin Sexton to a torn meniscus early in the 2021-22 season, but it still has hung around the top half of the conference this season. 

Our own Reed Wallach thinks that the Cavs are a solid bet to win their division this season, and the LeVert trade has moved their division odds from +350 to +300 at WynnBET Sportsbook. 

While WynnBET likely won’t release new NBA Finals odds until Monday morning, should bettors look to jump on the Cavs either as a dark horse pick for the title or in the conference? 

Can Caris LeVert Keep Up His Production?

LeVert certainly gives the Cavs another proven scoring option alongside Darius Garland, but it’s going to be interesting to see how he fits in with the roster. LeVert has the ball in his hands a lot in Indiana, registering a usage rate of 27.1 percent this season. 

For comparison, Garland (26.3 percent) and Kevin Love (26.5 percent) have the highest usage rates on the Cavs. Will LeVert be able to keep up his production with less touches?

I’m going to expect LeVert to take a bit of a step back, as he’s not really a catch-and-shoot player, so I’m intrigued to see how he and Garland play off of each other. LeVert is shooting just 32.3 percent from 3-point range, and this isn’t much of a drop off from his career average of 33.4 percent. 

He does fit a need in the scoring department for the Cavs, but this is a team that defends really well (this in the NBA in defensive rating) and plays at a slow pace (25th in the NBA). 

LeVert has a negative-1.4 defensive box plus/minus this season, but I think he should be able to slide in well around several other solid defenders. 

This bigger issue really comes down to the touches and how the Cavs stagger his minutes with Garland. 

The Cavs Are Nothing More Than a Dark Horse 

The LeVert trade certainly makes the Cavs more dangerous in the East, but I don’t think they are a serious contender to win the NBA title this season. 

There are too many star-filled teams in the Eastern Conference (the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat), that are just a step up in class for Cleveland. 

LeVert gives the Cavs a more proven scoring option that relying on some of their role players to have big games, but he doesn’t move the needle enough for me to consider them a title contender.