Cleveland Cavaliers Are Looking To Sign A Center For The Long-Term, Could It Be Larry Sanders Or Andrew Bogut?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking for a center to sign for the long-term, could it be Larry Sanders, Andrew Bogut or another player?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking for a long-term relationship with Larry Sanders or Andrew Bogut.

According to Shams Charania of The Vertical, “the Cavaliers’ front office is hoping for long-term, high-upside value with Sanders as the franchise pushes toward a third consecutive NBA Finals appearance”.

Cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon had this to say about the Cavs interest in retaining Andrew Bogut long-term:

"“Bogut has not been waived and a source said there was no guarantee the Cavs would waive him to clear a roster space for Sanders (or someone else). Bogut, 32, will be a free agent at season’s end, but if there is a way the franchise can curry favor with him to keep him on until then (thus building goodwill for a possible new contract at a discount this summer), the Cavs would consider it”."

Sanders, who will be paid $1.9 annually through the 2021-22 season after the Milwaukee Bucks waived Sanders using the NBA’s stretch provision, is a player who may sign long-term with the Cavs. The Cavs, who have a small portion of their taxpayers mid-level exception (MLE) left, can sign Sanders for up to three years. While this season he would get paid less than $300,000 (pro-rated “rest-of-season” contract), the next two seasons would pay him the veteran’s minimum.

Next year, the veteran’s minimum for a player with Sanders’ level of NBA experience will be $2,051,446 according to RealGM. Sanders being paid nearly $4 million per year for the next two seasons would be ideal for both parties; considering Sanders’ talent level this could a be a low-risk high-reward signing for the Cavs and with the amount of time Sanders has been out of the NBA, along with his off-court history, a multi-year deal is a strong commitment from the Cavs.

Sanders, who may have to attend an education, treatment or counseling program for his use of marijuana. According to TNT analyst David Aldridge, Sanders stopped using marijuana two months before ramping up his efforts to make an NBA comeback.

While the Cleveland Cavaliers have interest in Bogut choosing to stay with the team, it seem like a long shot. The Cavs believe there’s a chance that by not releasing Bogut it will inspire him to re-sign with the Cavs at the veteran’s minimum. That’s what you would call a long-shot or “grasping at straws”.

Bogut might be actually be amused by the Cleveland Cavaliers consider sitting him while signing another center who can contribute and releasing a player like DeAndre Liggins who produces for the Cavs and transforms them into one of the top defensive units in the league when he’s on the floor. It’s a business decision that they’re allowing to take precedent of their abilities on the court.

More from Cavs Free Agency

Imagine if Iman Shumpert went down with an injury. Who do the Cleveland Cavaliers call on defend quick and explosive point guards then?

Bogut remaining on the team could possible help Sanders, who he played with. However, when Bogut was traded it was to open up playing time for Sanders. Sanders had the best year of his career with Bogut in the Bay Area playing for the Golden State Warriors.

Furthermore, why would Bogut accept the veteran’s minimum ($2,794,384 for a player with ten or more years of experience according to RealGM) to play for a team that, in theory, could be beat by one of the teams that already covets him?

To that point, the Boston Celtics could have up to $30 million in cap space this summer. It’s much more likely that Bogut chooses to sign with one of the teams that had interest in him before the summer. The Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs, two other teams known to have interest in the big man, will have up to $8 million in cap space.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be $25 million over the cap. Regardless of preference, Sanders signing long-term is more feasible than Bogut. Bogut staying long-term, after he already commented on exploring free agency in the summer, really isn’t feasible at all.

If not Sanders, other candidates for a long-term contract would be Javale McGee, Jared Sullinger and Eric Moreland.

McGee, 29, has had a great season for the Golden State Warriors where all he has to do to succeed is set picks, run down the court and jump for lobs, rebounds and blocks. At 7-foot-0, 270 pounds and an amazing athlete, his physical traits allow him to put up dominant per 36 averages of 22.3 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. However, those same numbers (and Zaza Pachulia’s impending free agency) are why the Warriors would want to keep him. McGee, who has forged friendships on a championship-contender for the first time in his career, will likely want to stay in Golden State was well.

Sullinger, 25, has only played in 11 games this season and underperformed in that time. However he had a solid stint with the Boston Celtics. Following his rookie season, Sullinger averaged 12.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.6 blocks in 25.9 minutes per game in Boston. In his rookie year, Sullinger had averages of 6.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 0.5 blocks in 19.8 minutes per game. In the 2014-15 season, Sullinger averaged 12.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 20.0 minutes per game in the Celtics playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Moreland, 25, currently plays for the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League. The Canton Charge, the Cavs exclusive NBADL affiliate team have Moreland listed as one of two designated affiliate players for the Cavs. Moreland, who only has 50 minutes of NBA experience, isn’t on a NBADL team because there’s a question about his talent; he just began playing the center position at the end of high school after a growth spurt turned him from a point guard into a big man and dealt with a myriad of injuries as he adjusted to his new body. He now seems fully healthy and to have finally adjusted with averages of 13.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.5 blocks and 1.7 steals per game.

While this is the NBADL, the minor league version of the NBA, the NBA’s projection tool projects Moreland to average 8.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.4 blocks per game with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Who do you think the Cleveland Cavaliers sign to a multi-year contract to complete the team’s depth at center? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.