Caris LeVert Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: G
Born: 08/25/94
Height: 6-6 / 1.98
Weight:191 lbs. / 86.6 kg.
Salary: $2,625,717
Born: 08/25/94
Height: 6-6 / 1.98
Weight:191 lbs. / 86.6 kg.
Salary: $2,625,717
Alex Schiffer: Jacque Vaughn said Caris LeVert has impressed him early in the Nets practices. Said LeVert is playing with some swagger.
Alex Schiffer: Caris LeVert said Jamal Crawford was one of his favorite players as a kid and spoke to him yesterday. When LeVert landed at Michigan, Crawford reached out to him and the two have been friends ever since. Thinks Crawford’s experience and leadership will help them.
Bobby Marks: Nets roster heading to Orlando Chris Chiozza Tyler Johnson Caris LeVert Garrett Temple Jeremiah Martin Justin Anderson Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot Joe Harris Dzanan Musa Rodions Kurucs Jarrett Allen Substitute 1 Substitute 2 Substitute 3
“I was a part of maybe four or five marches or protests, whatever you want to call it. I don’t think it’s been the last four or five months,” LeVert said on a Zoom call with Nets media. “I feel like the last four or five months, it’s been documented and people are kind of paying attention to it, but that’s kind of been going on since before I was born. I was born into it. So, I don’t want to say it’s normal, but people like myself are kind of used to seeing crazy things like that happening.”
“I was a part of maybe four or five marches or protests, whatever you want to call it. I don’t think it’s been the last four or five months,” LeVert said on a Zoom call with Nets media. “I feel like the last four or five months, it’s been documented and people are kind of paying attention to it, but that’s kind of been going on since before I was born. I was born into it. So, I don’t want to say it’s normal, but people like myself are kind of used to seeing crazy things like that happening.”
Brian Lewis: Caris LeVert said he got back in market about two weeks ago. Adds he took part in four or five protests/marches since May. #Nets
Responses weren’t limited to Twitter. Caris LeVert went on Instagram, using the cap emoji —signifying an untruth or a lie— to express his feelings. Pinson agreed.
Irving implied as much himself, when he bluntly stated the franchise will have to add more in the summer if it hopes to contend. The Nets have more trade assets than most teams, including Dinwiddie and Jarrett Allen, but LeVert might be the most prized chip of them all. “He’s got three years guaranteed at $17 million; that’s a high-value contract for him, locking into that contract when you’ve had that many injuries at Michigan,” said ESPN cap guru Bobby Marks, who is a former Nets assistant GM. “Yeah, that’s a good number as far as if you’re looking at a team. That’s not a dead-weight contract.” Now Nets GM Sean Marks must decide if it’s too high-value to trade, if the young wing’s torrid form before the season got shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic is sustainable.
The Brooklyn Nets are expected to continue to reshape their roster around Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. “I believe they have telegraphed they intend to use some of their young talent to acquire a third star along with Kyrie and Durant,” said Brian Windhorst. “Now, we can get enter a healthy debate here about whether Caris LeVert is that third star and they make the decision that he is. But my feel reading the tea leaves, paying attention to what Sean Marks has said and also being aware of some conversations they had at the trade deadline, which was sticking the toe in the water on some things, I think they’re going to swing for the fences whenever the season comes. They’re going to have to potentially hire a coach that is going to help them do that.”
If Marks goes the trade route, ESPN NBA analyst Bobby Marks, who once served as assistant GM of the Nets, believes the biggest trade chips are Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert, who split time with Irving in the backcourt for the few games all were healthy. “I think Dinwiddie provides the ultimate insurance policy for Kyrie,” Bobby Marks said in a recent interview with Newsday. “Do you trust Kyrie to stay healthy? I don’t know the answer to that question. On the other hand, Dinwiddie will be technically on an expiring contract (with a player option at the end of 2020-21). He’ll likely opt out. He can be extended starting in December, and are you comfortable having your two point guards making north of $50 million per year?
If Marks goes the trade route, ESPN NBA analyst Bobby Marks, who once served as assistant GM of the Nets, believes the biggest trade chips are Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert, who split time with Irving in the backcourt for the few games all were healthy. “I think Dinwiddie provides the ultimate insurance policy for Kyrie,” Bobby Marks said in a recent interview with Newsday. “Do you trust Kyrie to stay healthy? I don’t know the answer to that question. On the other hand, Dinwiddie will be technically on an expiring contract (with a player option at the end of 2020-21). He’ll likely opt out. He can be extended starting in December, and are you comfortable having your two point guards making north of $50 million per year?
The Nets who spoke Saturday say Marks didn’t canvas them, and Durant — who spoke with Marks before Friday’s win — declined comment, but said in September he picked Brooklyn partly for Atkinson. Still, Atkinson realized some players were tuning him out, with Irving believed to be among them. “I never really did,” LeVert said. “But we had a lot of new guys this year, so you never really know how that goes.”
Clevys Murray: Caris LeVert is the first Celtics opponent with a 50-point game in a win since Michael Jordan’s 52 on 11/09/88. Devin Booker ‘17, Hakeem Olajuwon ‘96 and Patrick Ewing ‘90 were the last players to score 50 against Boston, but in losses.
Alex Schiffer: Brad Stevens on Caris LeVert: “He’s one of the young guards in the league that has continuously gotten better.” He added it’s the first time the Celtics have seen him this year.
Anthony Puccio: Dominant victory for Brooklyn: 115-86. They had 8 players in double figures, led by Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot (21 points). Caris LeVert dropped 17 points and grabbed a career-high 6 steals. – 17 3-pointers – 10 steals – 6 blocks … 2nd-most lopsided win of the season.
Several people mentioned the Nets could be active in trades. Spencer Dinwiddie, Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen are all names that rival executives believe to be available in some form. They could be attractive pieces for the Nets to package together to land a third star that sends them to the top of the conference. Some also wonder whether Brooklyn will spend big to keep unrestricted free agent Joe Harris this summer.
The Raptors ended up being an early signal of the coming shift as Masai Ujiri negotiated extensions with both Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam. Ujiri willingly conceding spending power, albeit to retain two pivotal members of their championship team, helped clarify how little many front offices cared about maximizing 2020 cap space. It was unsurprising to see less flexible front offices like the 76ers (Ben Simmons) and Nets (Caris LeVert and Taurean Prince) lock up young players ahead of restricted free agency, but a group of teams that includes the Raptors, Grizzlies (Dillon Brooks) and Kings (Buddy Hield) deliberately gave up cap space, and that meaningfully reduced the league-wide spending power this summer.
Alex Schiffer: Nets beat the Raptors 101-91 to snap Toronto’s 15-game winning streak. The record at the All-Star break is now 25-28. LeVert, Dinwiddie and Harris were all terrific tonight. One of the Nets best wins of the year, especially in terms of ball movement.
NBA Central: Caris LeVert laughs at the “Kyrie Hates You” chants 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/zFrl26GA39
Anthony Puccio: The Brooklyn Nets defeat the Golden State Warriors by 41 points: 129-88. They’ve won 4 of the last 5. Caris LeVert: 23 points D’Angelo Russell: 17 points (7/20 shooting)
The Nets are almost certainly not dealing LeVert, Dinwiddie, or Jarrett Allen for a package centered on picks, sources say. That wouldn’t make sense with Irving and Durant on board. Irving’s knee injury is also a last-minute monkey wrench. LeVert suitors would be subject to what is effectively a poison pill because of his contract extension that kicks in next season. Ditto for Taurean Prince.
20 Jan
Brian Lewis: Kenny Atkinson reiterated that Caris LeVert will be available tomorrow vs. #OKCThunder. Was rested vs. the #Magic because the #Nets have 3 games in 4 days. He was noncommittal about whether he’d play back-to-backs going forward.
Alex Schiffer: Nets drop their fifth in a row with a 121-102 loss to Toronto. Caris LeVert with 13 points in 16 minutes. Brooklyn is now 16-18 on the season and 12-11 without Kyrie Irving.
Michael Gallagher: Caris LeVert (right thumb surgery) and Garrett Temple (right knee contusion) are both available for this evening’s game vs. Toronto, per Nets.
Alex Schiffer: Caris LeVert will have a minutes restriction tonight, according to Kenny Atkinson. He doesn’t plan to tell us the number.
Brian Lewis: Kenny Atkinson on LeVert’s return: “We need that energy boost right now. I don’t see us playing like a super-high energy team right now.” #nets
Michael Gallagher: Caris LeVert (right thumb surgery) and Garrett Temple (right knee contusion) are probable for tomorrow against the Raptors.
After missing seven weeks following right thumb surgery, Brooklyn Nets guard Caris LeVert is expected to return to the lineup against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, league sources tell ESPN. LeVert, ramping up his workouts lately, will return to a team that has lost four straight — including 123-111 to Dallas on Thursday — to drop to 16-17 and in seventh place in the East. Brooklyn has been without two of its best players –LeVert and Kyrie Irving — for an extended period.
After hurting himself on Nov. 10, LeVert sat out his 23rd straight game Monday in Minnesota, the site of his horrific foot dislocation almost exactly a year to the day earlier. But LeVert worked out before the game and is on the brink of returning to action. “Looked really good, is feeling really good,” coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We’re getting close.”
The Nets were scheduled to fly to Dallas right after Monday’s game in Minnesota. They won’t practice Tuesday, but they have a full practice slated for Wednesday. That workout could be the last step in getting LeVert back out on the court. “We’ll see. That’s a big one,” Atkinson said. “That’ll be more, a bigger five-on-five group. So we’re just getting real close. We want to make sure we check all the boxes and [there are] a lot of boxes to be checked. Personally I don’t want to rush into anything. And I know we need him back but I want this to be a health long-term thing for the rest of the year.”
Brian Lewis: Caris LeVert worked out again today, has done 5-on-5 and will face a big hurdle in the #Nets New Years Day practice in Dallas. Kenny Atkinson on LeVert: “Worked this morning, looked really good, is feeling really good. We’re getting close.” #NBA
Brian Lewis: Caris LeVert did more contact today. He’s getting closer. Atkinson on hesitancy to playing him in Minnesota since it was the site of his gruesome foot injury: “Haven’t even thought about that. I will think about it now. Fair question; something we’ll have to consider.” #Nets
Anthony Puccio: Caris LeVert is out tomorrow against Houston, Nets say.
After doing contact with only coaches on Monday, LeVert said he’s finally done with teammates both on Tuesday and again Thursday morning before Brooklyn hosted the rival Knicks at Barclays Center. That would imply that his long-awaited return is right around the corner. “It feels good to get out there and practice a bit with the guys. They’ve been playing extremely well, so I can’t wait to get out there with them,” said LeVert. “Just getting my legs up under me (is the next step). I was out a month, a month-and-a-half or so – I don’t really know how long it was – but just getting my rhythm, getting my legs back.”
Malika Andrews: The Nets say Caris LeVert — who was able to participate in all of practice on Monday — will not play Thursday against the Knicks. As expected, Kyrie Irving is still out.
