The Verdict: Right Move
The Cleveland Cavaliers had to make a decision on the future of the center position. It was between the established force, Anderson Varejao, and the young power forward who could potentially be the anchor at the 5, Tristan Thompson.
For the time being, Cleveland chose Varejao.
This doesn’t exactly seal Thompson’s fate as a trade piece or a player who will walk via free agency. What it does is secure the Cavaliers a big man who’s as good as they come on the offensive and defensive glass.
Varejao also has postseason experience as a member of the five Cavaliers teams that LeBron James led to the playoffs.
The only negative aspect of Varejao’s new deal is that $10 million is in the ball park of being too much. Varejao’s production and energy are worthy of the price tag, but his age and injury history should’ve dropped that number down a bit.
Again, that’s where the team option comes in.
Giving that much money to a 32-year-old with a long history of injuries and a younger alternative behind him is not only risky, but it could be a damaging blow to the organization if history repeats itself. Fortunately, Cleveland has an escape route.
Nevertheless, it’s still a hefty price tag.
The rising salary cap helps to make up for it, but $10 million is $10 million. Furthermore, Kevin Love and Thompson’s pending free agency is in 2015—not after the new CBA is negotiated.
In the end, Varejao is a valuable player who will play a vital role for the Cavaliers when healthy. Cleveland will re-sign the players it deems most vital to team success, and the Brazilian center appears to be one of them.
Until proven otherwise, this was the right move with questionable money and a perfectly placed team option.