The Detroit Pistons signed Caris LeVert from the Atlanta Hawks last season to fill Malik Beasley’s spot in the rotation, but this has proven to be a mistake.
Writer Aaron Kellerstrass of Piston Powered, covering the Detroit Pistons, admitted as much in a recent article. Kellerstrass asserted the team has a "Caris LeVert problem Pistons fans are praying doesn't become worse." He made the astute observation that LeVert and Pistons coach JB Bickerstaff have a relationship after their shared tenure on the Cavaliers, and this trust is likely what prompted the team to swing on the former Hawk.
Kellerstrass made sure to emphasize that LeVert "hasn't been that bad," but his statistical impact is minimal at best. When you factor in the nagging injuries that followed him to Detroit, the decision to sign LeVert looks like a massive mistake.
LeVert was traded from Cleveland to Atlanta last season, after which he experienced something resembling a career rebirth. He notched 14.9 points per game as a Hawk, his highest mark since the 2021-22 season, while shooting a slightly-above-average 55.8% EFG%, a career high. While his increase in shot volume was surely due to Atlanta’s weak scoring options, the bump in efficiency was enough to convince Detroit to take a chance on the Michigan product.
Unfortunately, LeVert’s revival was short-lived. He’s fallen from grace this season, dropping to 8.1 points on a concerning 52.0% EFG. To make matters worse, his already weak rebounding declined by 50% during his tenure with the Hawks.
The Pistons made a short-sighted move that could haunt the franchise
Beasley was the starting shooting guard for most of last season and had a career season himself. Just one day before free agency, however, Beasley was indicted by federal investigators on allegations of point shaving. Beasley has been sidelined while the NBA investigates, but it is safe to assume he won’t suit up for the Pistons for quite a while.
This left a hole in the guard rotation. Jaden Ivey was the de facto starter to replace Beasley, but he had never quite proven he deserved this role. LeVert was expected to be the third stringer with the chance to rise into the starting lineup.
Luckily for Detroit, Daniss Jenkins popped up out of nowhere and instantly became a high-level contributor for the team. While they were able to fill Beasley’s hole with Jenkins, they still must grapple with their failed LeVert transaction.
The Pistons have been on fire this season and are on track for a 60-win season. Still, they have been quietly assessing the trade market as they look finalize their young core. LeVert’s two-year. $29 million deal complicates matters for the squad.
His $14 million salary is far too much for the level of play LeVert has offered the Pistons. The simplest move is to use him as matching salary in a trade, but they’ll have to throw a sweetener to convince a team to harbor the questionably-nicknamed “Baby Durant.”
The Pistons are by no means dead in the water, but they shot themselves in the foot with the LeVert move.