With the season winding down, the Cleveland Cavaliers are making some noise down the stretch. They most recently waived DeAndre Liggins and signed Dahntay Jones in his place. Apparently, that wasn’t the only move the Cavaliers had in mind. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, the Cavaliers plan on signing center Walter ‘Edy’ Tavares to a multi-year deal. The details of Tavares’ contract have yet to be disclosed, but it will most likely be a non-guaranteed deal.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are planning to sign center Edy Tavares to a multiyear contract on Wednesday, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 12, 2017
Getting to know Tavares
The 25-year-old Tavares has been playing in the D-League for Raptors 905 and was named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the 2017 D-League All-Star game.
The 7-foot-3 big man has also played for other D-League teams, which include the Austin Spurs, Canton Charge, and Bakersfield Jam.
In the NBA, he has played two seasons for the Atlanta Hawks. In his rookie campaign, Tavares showed up in 11 games and averaged 2.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 6.6 minutes per game. This season, he played one game for Atlanta before being waived and spending time in the D-League.
Cleveland’s roster outlook
The Cavaliers will waive Larry Sanders to create an additional roster spot to officially sign Tavares on Wednesday. This comes as a surprise since Sanders was supposed to be the ultimate big man addition for them after Andrew Bogut’s season-ending leg injury.
Sanders has logged five games for Cleveland, averaging merely 0.8 points and 0.8 rebounds. It seems like the Cavs were unimpressed by the 28-year-old.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are releasing center Larry Sanders to create roster space, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 12, 2017
Thompson’s injury a problem?
With the signing of a big man, it also makes people wonder if Tristan Thompson’s injury is serious.
The 26-year-old big man injured his thumb against the Orlando Magic and has missed the team’s last four games when initially he was only expected to miss two. Could it be that Thompson may miss some time during the playoffs, which is why the Cavaliers are trying to solidify their center position?
Nevertheless, the Cavaliers are making some interesting late-season moves.
They have been struggling to close out the season, which has been a huge concern, so it’s only fitting for them to make some changes. If Tavares is actually utilized, he could provide some serious shot blocking down low, which Cleveland desperately needs. The former second-round pick has a wing span of eight feet, giving the Cavs perfect size on the inside.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Toronto Raptors in their final game without LeBron James. It’s unclear whether Edy Tavares will be able to play in that contest. Also, if Cleveland loses, they will end up securing the second seed in the East.
