The Cavaliers aren’t exactly having a great season, but if nothing else they play hard just about every time out under head coach Byron Scott. Once Kyrie Irving returns from injury things should improve a bit, but even in his absence, Anderson Varejao is making an impact in every one of his court appearances.
Varejao has always been known for his hustle, and for his excessive flopping in lieu of playing legitimate defense in seasons past. But that part of his game has thankfully disappeared almost entirely, and now he’s an efficient scorer when he gets his opportunities, and an absolute monster on the glass, leading the league in that department with an average of 15.3 rebounds per game.
Teams have inquired about Varejao’s availability before, but haven’t offered enough in a trade package to entice Cleveland into giving him up. With the improvement in Varejao’s game this season, that might very well change.
From Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
The Anderson Varejao trade talk will heat up again, especially with the incredible Cavalier leading the NBA in rebounding — by far — at [now 15.3] per game. And he’s averaging 14.9 points, without the Cavs running a play for him. Varejao is shooting a career-high 78 percent from the foul line, and making 15-footers regularly in the flow of the game.
In the past, there has been a lot of trade talk about Varejao, but the Cavs never were real close to trading their 6-10 veteran. Their price has always been high — something like a lottery pick and perhaps other young players. The teams that treasure Varejao’s skills are contenders with low draft picks. That has not created suitable trading partners.
It’s possible — with Varejao having a career season — that could change. Oklahoma City owns multiple picks, including a possible lottery pick that originally belonged to Toronto (protected for picks 1 to 3). You can imagine Varejao adding some lightning to the Thunder. But who knows if there will be a deal.
If the Thunder were to be able to put together a package to get Varejao, go ahead and put them right near the top of the list of teams that are favorites to win the title this year. The upgrade over Kendrick Perkins in the starting lineup would simply be massive.
There’s a durability question with Varejao that might make Oklahoma City, or anyone thinking about dealing lottery picks wary of doing so, and there’s also the issue of just how many times Cleveland wants go back to the draft before it assembles a roster with some legitimate veterans that can get them more quickly back to the postseason in the not ultra-competitive Eastern Conference.
One thing is certain: the offers will definitely be rolling in. It’s something worth watching as the trade deadline approaches.
