Spurs Trade for Cavaliers' Lamar Stevens; What's His Value?
To start off free agency, the San Antonio Spurs are playing a part in facilitating a three-team trade.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Spurs are acquiring Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens and a second-round pick as a part of a trade that sends Max Strus to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Stevens, 25, has spend the past three seasons with the Cavaliers, with an increasing role year after year. He began his career receiving 12.5 minutes per game with the Cavaliers, then he appeared in 63 games, starting in 13 of them, averaging 16.1 minutes per game in his second season.
This past season, Stevens starting in 25 games while playing in 62 games, and he averaged 18.1 minutes per game, his biggest role yet.
Stevens hasn't been the best shooter in his career, but he's gradually improved when it comes to efficiency. In his first season, he attempted just 0.6 threes per game, with a jump to 1.0 three attempted per game, and this past season, he attempted 1.5 threes per game.
Not only did Stevens improve his volume over the past three years, each year his efficiency rose with volume. From his 16 percent efficiency in year one, to his most recent 32 percent efficiency from beyond the arc, the improvement is there from the forward.
However, Stevens' impact comes beyond the court.
“I’ve only been here a few months, but you can tell as a locker room, as a group of guys, we trust in [Stevens], in his voice, his leadership," Mitchell said in a March postgame press conference. “Not only did he do it by voice, but by example. When he’s out there competing, fighting, screaming, getting buckets, and also getting stops, you’ve gotta be out there doing the same thing.”
Stevens is going to lead by example while doing the dirty work on the basketball court, and he's a scrappier player that every team wants to have on the court.
You can follow Kade Kimble on Twitter @KadeKimble.
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