The Golden State Warriors are reportedly the favorite to sign veteran backup center Anderson Varejao, who last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
According to ESPN’s Mark Stein, the Golden State Warriors have emerged as the runaway favorites to sign 12-year NBA veteran backup center Anderson Varejao.
Golden State has emerged as the heavy favorite to sign Anderson Varejao after he clears waivers later today, according to league sources.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 21, 2016
Varejao had spent his entire NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers before being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers at the 2016 NBA trade deadline, before being released by his new team. The Brazilian center will clear waivers on Sunday and is expected to join Golden State as a reserve veteran off the bench.
Stein reported that other teams that were highly interested in signing Varejao were the San Antonio Spurs, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Atlanta Hawks, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Dallas Mavericks. Though San Antonio still has an outside chance at signing the free agent center, Varejao will in all likelihood spend the rest of the 2015-16 NBA season in Northern California with the defending champion Warriors.
What makes this signing interesting is two-fold:
1.) Golden State already has 15-men on their current roster, so expect a player to be cut by the club to make room for the Varejao signing. This could mean that a former Warrior could end up on another team during the NBA Playoffs push.
2.) Perhaps what is most intriguing about Varejao probably going to Golden State is that many expect that the Warriors and the Cavaliers will again meet in the NBA Finals this June. Golden State won its first NBA title in 40 years last season by knocking off the Cavaliers in six games, clinching the championship at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.
Varejao was by far and away the longest tenured member of the Cavaliers and was supposedly very close with superstar point forward LeBron James. Trading Varejao was done in an effort to free up a roster spot for a strong perimeter shooting big in former Orlando Magic forward Channing Frye.
That move was done to hopefully better position the Cavaliers to beat Golden State in potentially a rematch in the 2016 NBA Finals. Interestingly, Varejao could win his first NBA Championship as a member of Golden State that would probably have to beat his former team in Cleveland to repeat as NBA Champions.