The Cavaliers no longer wanted the Cavalier-for-life that was Anderson Varejao. They traded the Brazilian big man with the Sideshow Bob hair to Portland as part of a three-team trade that netted Cleveland Channing Frye — a peripheral bench upgrade in shooting.
But a lot of other teams, including the other leading title contenders, are interested in Varejao.
Portland has waived Varejao (as was always its plan) and the contenders are lining up, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.Sources told ESPN.com that the Warriors are among the playoff teams, along with Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Dallas, currently investigating the prospect of signing Varejao, who is scheduled to clear waivers Sunday after his trade from Cleveland to Portland and subsequent release by the Trail Blazers....
Sources say Varejao, for his part, plans to take the weekend to clear his head before seriously thinking about his next destination. The Cavaliers are the only team Varejao has played for in his 12 NBA seasons, prompting the Brazilian to issue a warm thank you letter to Cavs fans Friday.
Rumors around the league also have the Los Angeles Clippers also interested. Dallas is considered the front-runner for David Lee, it’s unlikely they would ink him and Varejao.
Varejao isn’t going to see a lot of court time with any of these teams (although he could play for Golden State until Festus Ezeli returns from injury). What these teams want him for is his calming, professional influence in the locker room.
Something Cleveland might miss.