3 reasons it makes sense for the Cleveland Cavaliers to bring back Lamar Stevens

The Cleveland Cavaliers should bring back Lamar Stevens.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to improve their roster this offseason, but that doesn’t mean that they’ll just look to bring in new talent. Improving the team could mean retaining some players as well. There are the obvious names who are under contract and not going anywhere, then there are the free agents the team could opt to re-sign. Then there are players like Lamar Stevens with pending options in their contracts.

Stevens is by no means a starter, nor is he a major difference-maker. He’s someone who has specific skill sets that can help improve a team but not necessarily be the foundation. If the team is a cup, and the talent is the water, and the water is nearly at the top of the cup, his limited skillset can put the team over the top.

He can not meet the majority of the team’s needs but he can provide his fair share. He does have value for the Cavs. In fact, we have three reasons why the Cavs should bring him back.

Three reasons why the Cleveland Cavaliers should bring back Lamar Stevens

Affordable

Lamar Stevens is in the last year of his deal, a deal that has a club option, that if picked up, would pay him $1.9 million for this season. Considering how much money the core four of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen all cost or will cost, the Cavs need to find a way to build a roster without breaking the bank, and keeping a guy like Stevens gives them a body on the bench they can rely on without a huge contract to worry about.

Good hustle player

Every team needs a hustle player and two of the Cavs’ most popular players were just that; Anderson Varejao and Matthew Dellavedova. Stevens could be the next in line of great hustle guys; guys who lack major attributes but make up for their deficiencies by out-hustling the other players. Stevens may not have the attributes you want in an offseason signing but he’s good enough to affect the outcome of the game by simply being better conditioned and more rested.

Solid multi-positional defender

Stevens does something that few other players in the league can do, he can guard multiple positions in a game. He’s big enough that he can guard centers for a short while, at least less athletic ones. Then he can guard power and small forwards fairly well. If he has to, he can switch on a guard and use his length to slow him down. It’s not his best matchup but it is one he can take on in a pinch.