When the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers lost Andrew Bogut for the remainder of the season due to a fractured tibia just 58 seconds into his debut, they were left searching for a suitable replacement who is both capable and eligible for this year’s playoff run and title defense. Now, it seems they have found their man.
Earlier this morning (Monday), Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports and The Vertical reported that Larry Sanders had agreed to a deal with the Cavaliers.
Shortly after 4:30 p.m. EST today, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio and Amico Hoops reported that Sanders and his agent, Joel Bell, have indeed agreed to a deal with the Cavaliers. According to Amico, Sanders’ deal will include an option for next year.
#Cavs have officially waived Andrew Bogut and signed Larry Sanders.
— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) March 13, 2017
“The option aspect of the contract was vital to the Cavs,” sources told Amico Hoops. “The Cavs wanted the ability to decide/control where Sanders plays next should he flourish in Cleveland.”
As Amico reports, the Cavs have officially decided to waive Bogut to make room for Sanders on their roster.
Joe Vardon of cleveland.com writes about the expected value of Sanders’ contract with the Cavaliers in his recent article.
“Cleveland can’t offer Sanders anything above the NBA minimum salary, which for someone with Sanders’ experience (five seasons) would be a pro-rated amount of $1.1 million — about $208,000.”
Sanders, 28, is a 6-foot-11 rim protector who last played professionally with the Milwaukee Bucks two seasons ago (February 2015). Over the course of his five years in the NBA, the former No. 15 overall selection in the 2010 NBA Draft out of Virginia Commonwealth University has averaged 6.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 19.8 minutes per game. His best averages came during the 2012-13 season when he tallied 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 2.8 blocks in 27.3 minutes per contest.
Sanders, who stepped away from the game of basketball for two years due to a bout with depression, is known for his great shot-blocking capabilities, rebounding skills, and presence in the paint. With Kevin Love out of the rotation for a little while longer due to a knee injury, Sanders will likely give the Cavs a much-needed boost on the glass when he is ready to suit up in a Wine and Gold uniform. Over their previous 12 games, the Cavs have been beaten in the offensive rebounding category by a grand total of 54.
LeBron James, who has been a part of several career revivals over the years, recently spoke about the possibility of Sanders playing in Cleveland, saying: “Why not? I would like that.”
TNT’s David Aldridge reported that Sanders will likely spend most of the regular season playing for the Cavaliers’ D-League affiliate team, the Canton Charge. It appears as though the Cavs want to get him reacclimated to NBA speed before the start of this year’s playoff push.
The plan for @l8show_thegoat in Cleveland is to practice w/Cavs & play for Canton D-League team for most of the rest of the regular season.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) March 13, 2017
Goal is to have him ready to play for Cavs in playoffs. Completing physical this morning; will sign this afternoon.
— David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) March 13, 2017
