Could the Atlanta Hawks take a chance on Anderson Varejao?
One of the more interesting names to have hit the buyout market is former Cavaliers big man Anderson Varejao. The center was traded to make cap room for the acquisition of Channing Frye in Cleveland, and was promptly bought out by Portland upon being moved there.
Don’t take Varejao being bought out as a slight against his value in the NBA. After hitting waivers, rumors began to pop up all over about teams like the Thunder and Warriors being interested in the center — which is a glowing endorsement.
Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders opined recently that the Hawks would be wise to sign Anderson Varejao — which makes sense when you think about it.
Varejao is not a world beater of a big man but the Hawks aren’t designed to be that way. What Varejao did best in Cleveland was provide depth on the bench and a decent rim protector in certain rotations. That’s all he can provide at this point in his career, as he’s not the budding star he looked to be some years ago.
But Atlanta doesn’t need him to be their consolation for not acquiring Dwight Howard. Instead, they need Varejao to be that reliable option off the bench — much like the purpose he’d serve if he ended up with Oklahoma City or Golden State. None of these means Atlanta will act on what is purely speculation at this point, but it’s not a bad idea to consider.