The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to ramp up their NBA playoff run, and the latest casualty is Deandre Liggins. After playing 61 games, the 29-year-old has been waived to create a roster spot,
The Cavs seem complete on paper, but general manager David Griffin appears to think otherwise. With an open roster spot, someone from the free agent market could be signed soon as Cleveland looks to win back-to-back NBA titles.
Why DeAndre Liggins?
Liggins is one of the lesser used but budget players on the Cavs roster. He was kept alongside Jordan McRae back in January, but a lot has changed since then.
He was asked to fill in for the injured J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert during that span. As most have probably heard, both are now back for the Cavs.
With the Cavs backcourt seemingly complete, the same cannot be said about their frontline. Kevin Love has returned from injury, but the latest casualty is Tristan Thompson. The 26-year-old Canadian is currently out due to a sprained thumb, so there is a hole that needs to be filled.
Anderson Varejao, Josh Smith under consideration?
There are a lot of free agent big men the Cavs can go after. One name that comes to mind is Brazilian Anderson Varejao. After the Golden State Warriors had waived him, there were suggestions that he could return to Cleveland.
The Cavs went with Andrew Bogut instead though the Aussie big man got injured right in his very first game. Cleveland went for plan B, taking in Larry Sander. To date, the returning center has yet to get meaningful minutes wearing the Cavs uniform.
While a Varejao reunion seems plausible, most point out his conditioning. He spent lots of time on the Warriors bench and wasn’t much of a factor during his stint in the Bay Area.
The only advantage he has right now is familiarity with most of the Cavs players and the organization.
If not Varejao, there are other names in the free agent market available. Josh Smith has been out of the NBA for quite some time though his conditioning is also a bit question mark. Whoever the Cavs decide to pick up, the player they are getting could be more of insurance than someone who can make an impact.
There is also the timetable of Thompson's injury. There is no official word on how long he will be in sick bay, meaning coach Tyronn Lue will have to look ahead. The issue may not be a big deal for pundits, but the fact is the Cavs want to make sure they are secure up to the last game of the 2016-17 NBA season.
