The Cavs are fortifying for the NBA stretch run by recreating the 2018-19 Nets.
Cleveland sent a raft of picks and Ricky Rubio’s contract to Indiana for Caris LeVert, who joins his old Brooklyn teammates Jarrett Allen and Ed Davis on one of the biggest surprises in the NBA. (Rubio is out for the year with a torn ACL and a free agent after the season.)
LeVert, who was rerouted to Indiana in the James Harden deal last season, is the first domino to fall in the Pacers’ teardown. The Knicks were rumored to be interested in Myles Turner, who is currently out with a foot injury.
The Cavs are giving up three second-round picks and a 2022 pick that is protected through the lottery, according to ESPN.
News of the trade broke less than two hours before the Pacers were scheduled to play the Cavs in Cleveland on Sunday night.
LeVert goes to a team that is 31-21, 1.5 games out of the East’s top seed and 2.5 games ahead of the ice-cold Nets. The 27-year-old Columbus native is averaging 18 points in 31 minutes with the Pacers this year.
