When the Detroit Pistons lost valuable veterans, Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Dennis Schroder in the offseason, they quickly pivoted and signed Caris LeVert to a two-year, $29 million deal in free agency. The veteran shooting guard had recently had solid seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks, establishing himself as one of the best sixth men in the NBA. The hope was that LeVert would provide the Pistons with shot creation, playmaking, and scoring off the bench without being a defensive liability.
Through the first two months of the season, LeVert has been as advertised. The problem is that the Pistons don't really need what the 31-year-old brings, making him an expendable asset before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Caris LeVert Is a Fascinating Trade Chip for the Pistons
LeVert is playing a career-low 20.5 minutes per game this season. He has played over 25 minutes in a game only once, the overtime win against the Dallas Mavericks last week. When he plays, LeVert has a small offensive role. His 18.1% usage rate is the lowest mark since his rookie season.
It's not like LeVert has been bad when he has been on the floor. He is shooting 38.2% from downtown and has 55.1% True Shooting, a higher efficiency mark than his career average (53.4%). He is averaging 8.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game, while playing solid defense off the bench.
Yet, he has the worst on/off rating of any player on the team. The Pistons are 9.4 points per 100 possessions worse with him on the floor than off, per Cleaning the Glass. In fact, the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons have a meager plus-3.4 net rating when LeVert plays.
These ratings can be misleading, and this is obviously not LeVert's fault. It says little about who he is as a player. What it can help tell us, however, is that the Pistons don't need him in the rotation, especially after Jaden Ivey's return. Ivey does a lot of the same things LeVert does off the bench and has been slowly increasing his playing time. Once he starts playing near 30 minutes per game, there will be fewer minutes to go around for LeVert, especially with Ron Holland also coming off the bench and playing extended minutes.
LeVert's $14.1 million salary makes him an attractive trade chip for Detroit. Attaching draft capital to his salary could net the Pistons a better shooter or a three-and-D wing. More forward depth and spacing are near the top of the list of priorities for the Pistons, and LeVert may need to be sacrificed in a trade to achieve that.