Cavaliers, LeBron James consider reunion with a fan favourite

The Cleveland Cavaliers released DeAndre Liggins on Saturday to open up a roster spot in time for the postseason. According to a report on Sunday, LeBron James’ team is considering bringing back backup big man Anderson Varejao as Liggins’ replacement.

Cleveland.com reports that the Brazilian big man, who was a former member of the Cavaliers, is one of the targets for the open roster spot.

"Liggs gave us a lot. I think when JR (Smith) went down we inserted him into the starting lineup to change our defense to get Kyrie off the ball and to pick up full court, be aggressive defensively -- he was really good for us. Hopefully he gets a chance to go somewhere else and get an opportunity to play,” Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue stated after Liggins’ release.

Liggins was a worthy backup for the Cavs but it already added veteran Deron Williams earlier this season. The Cavs’ decision to let go of Liggins this late in the 2016-2017 NBA Season was a curious move but it would make sense if Cleveland can land someone like Varejao, who is ready to contribute in the postseason.

The big man from Brazil was a former starter in Cleveland and he can serve as a backup to the Cavs’ centre rotation of Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love and Derrick Williams.

With the Cavaliers’ current rotation, it’s likely that Varejao won’t see much time on the floor if he signs with Cleveland. He can be an insurance big man should one of Thompson, Love or Williams suffer an injury in the postseason.

The Cavaliers let go of Varejao last season and he signed with rival Golden State Warriors after he was waived. Varejao was part of the core for the Cavaliers for many years playing in Cleveland from 2004 to 2016.

The Brazilian centre played in limited games for the Warriors with a total of 36 games played for Golden State in one and a half seasons. For his career, Varajao has averaged 7.3 points and 7.2 rebounds.

When healthy, he can contribute for the Cavaliers if it does manage to get him in free agency. Cleveland must sign Varejao before Wednesday so he can be eligible to play in the 2017 NBA Playoffs.

As noted by CBS Sports, Varejao “might not bring the best of luck” for the past teams he has played for. The Cavaliers lost to the Warriors in the 2015 NBA Finals with him in the roster and Golden State lost to Cleveland in the 2016 NBA Finals when Varejao was with the Warriors.