The Cavaliers are picking up their minimum-salary team option on forward Lamar Stevens for the 2023/24 season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The option will pay Stevens a $1,930,681 salary for next season, though he’s still not necessarily assured of that full amount. His salary will remain non-guaranteed until January 10 even after Cleveland exercises the option, so the club could go in a different direction later in the offseason – or early in the regular season – and avoid being on the hook for his entire cap hit.
Still, Stevens looks like a good value at that price, so it would be a surprise if he’s cut. The 6’6″ wing appeared in 62 games for the Cavs last season, starting 25 of them and averaging 18.1 minutes per night. He recorded 5.3 PPG and 3.3 RPG on .448/.316/.702 shooting and was one of the team’s most reliable perimeter defenders.
While most team option decisions are due on June 29, today is the deadline to make a call on Stevens, which is why it was reported early.
Stevens is now on track to reach unrestricted free agency in 2024, assuming he doesn’t sign an extension before then.