I have a quick and possibly straight forward question. Does the movement caused by Levitate provoke attacks from creatures within reach? I imagine the answer is yes but I wanted to make sure.
Yes. Voluntary movement provokes an AoO regardless of direction.
If the creature being levitated is not the caster, it could be argued that the creature's movement isn't voluntary. Against such an argument, I'd suggest that the creature was a willing target (required by the spell).