What is Anderson Varejao’s Role Next Year?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are on a roll and Anderson Varejao is back on the court shooting. Coach David Blatt said Wild Thing will not be returning this season, even for the playoffs. His torn Achilles is ahead of schedule but not going to be in a position where he could help the Cavs this year.
The Cavs currently have three functional big men: Kevin Love, Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson. Shawn Marion was supposed to be the swing 4th big man and Brendan Haywood was someone people hoped could provide some minutes. Marion is out hurt, and will retire at the end of the season, while there is zero chance Haywood is on the team next year. James Jones has played the role of the 4th “big”, as a stretch player coming off the bench. Jones is not a big man at only 215 pounds, though he surprisingly stands at 6’8″.
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The question for next year is what will Varejao’s role be?
At the start of this season Andy was the Cavs starting center and signed a three year contract extension, averaging around $10 million, that starts next season. The final season of the deal is nonguaranteed and likely will not be used by the Cavs. The Cavs have acquired Mozgov to take over the starting center spot and he has fit perfectly.
There are big caveats to this discussion, two of them that could have huge negative impacts on the Cavs. Love can opt out of his contract and decide to go somewhere else and Thompson will be a restricted free agent. If Love opts out, he and Thompson could be in line for big raises. It is unlikely, but the Cavs could lose either or both of them. Love leaving is more likely than Thompson but either or both not being in Cleveland would be a huge problem for the Cavs. If those happen, Andy’s role would get bigger and more important.
Yet, if Love and Thompson are back, where will Andy fit? Thompson has taken over as the team’s resident hustle, rebounder and defender. Mozgov is a far better rim protector and low block offensive player. Love is the unique big man that can score in the post, shoot from outside and be a dynamic rebounder.
Right now, the Cavs’ fourth big man is Jones or Marion, two players who are far better on offense than on defense. They fit well with Thompson or Mozgov on the court, as does Love. Thompson and Mozgov do not often share the floor as neither is able to space the floor as the Cavs would like. The problem for next year is that neither does Varejao.
Having Andy and either Mozgov or Thompson on the floor together would be good for defense and rebounding but cause big issues on offense. Blatt wants a spacer on the floor with either Mozgov, Thompson or Varejao but Love needs some time off. That could lead the Cavs to trying to find a big man, either in free agency or using Haywood’s contract, that can give them some stretch options.
Having 5 solid big men (Love, Mozgov, Thompson, Varejao and the acquired stretch big) would be a great rotation and “problem” for the Cavs. It would also mean limited minutes for Andy or Tristan on different nights. Paying Varejao $10 million to play 10 to 15 minutes would be a bad use of resources. Thompson is unlikely to return for less than $10 million as well.
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With Wild Thing’s injury history and big contract, Varejao’s trade value is very small going into next season. Thompson is close with LeBron James and is 9 years younger, trading him away (or letting him walk) because of Andy is also a poor use of resources. Not making a move for a player who can help stretch the floor a bit would limit Blatt’s offense, which has been great with Love and Jones filling that role. GM David Griffin is likely to be aggressive in finding shooting, something he always talks about valuing.
Wild Thing might be a fan favorite and has given his all to the Cavaliers. Unfortunately for all involved he hasn’t been able to stay healthy. Now the Cavs will have a $10 million player playing limited minutes based on his fit with the rest of the team. It will be good to not have to rely so heavily on Mozgov and Thompson next season but Andy’s role is going to be far smaller than he expected when he signed his contract extension.
Looking forward, what do you think Anderson Varejao’s role will be with the Cavs?