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Former Penn State forward Lamar Stevens traded to San Antonio Spurs

Mug-Shot 4x4by:Ryan Snyder•07/01/23•

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Mar 31, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Lamar Stevens (8) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Former Penn State forward Lamar Stevens is on the move. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the former Nittany Lion who spent the past three seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers is headed to the San Antonio Spurs to play alongside future superstar Victor Wembanyama.

The move is part of a three-team sign-and-trade that’s primarily centered around guard Max Strus ending up in Cleveland. Stevens and forward Cedi Osman will go to San Antonio, along with a second-round draft pick. The Heat will also get a second-round pick from Cleveland.

A native of Philadelphia, Stevens was one of Penn State’s top players over the past decade. He played all four seasons while in State College, leading the Nittany Lions to an NIT Championship in 2018. He was part of the Big Ten’s All-Freshman team in 2017 and also earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2019 and 2020.

Although he went undrafted, Stevens signed a two-way contract with the Cavaliers and made his NBA debut in December 2020. He ended up playing in 40 games during the 2020-2021 season, averaging four points and 2.4 rebounds in 12 minutes of play.

Insider Notes: Early offseason impressions for Penn State’s basketball program

Stevens has steadily seen his minutes rise over the past two seasons, averaging 16 minutes in 2021-2022 and 18 minutes in 2022-2023. For his career, he’s averaging 5.3 points per game and 2.8 rebounds. He signed a four-year, 5.8 million dollar deal with the Cavs back in April 2021. He’s set to make 1.8 million this upcoming season as long as he’s on the Spurs’ roster come January.

Stevens was the only former Penn State player in the NBA this past season. Former guard Tim Frazier spent eight years in the league before moving to France this past season to play for Strasbourg.

However, that’s expected to change during the 2023-2024 season, as the Nittany Lions had two players selected in this year’s draft. Guard Jalen Pickett was picked No. 32 in the second round by this year’s NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets. He’ll also now play for another former Nittany Lion in Calvin Booth, who’s currently the general manager in Denver.

But he wasn’t the only player taken in last month’s draft, as forward Seth Lundy was selected 14 picks later at No. 46 overall by the Atlanta Hawks. If all goes to plan, Penn State could have as many as four players in the NBA next year, as guard Andrew Funk also signed a Summer League deal with the Nuggets.

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