The Warriors are the favorite to sign Anderson Varejao once he clears waivers later today, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The Spurs are still being considered as well, Stein adds in a full length piece.
Golden State is currently carrying 15 players on its roster with each contract being fully guaranteed, so a subsequent move will be needed. The minimum salary for a player with Varejao’s experience is slightly under $1.5MM, and with the team in luxury tax, the cost of acquiring the big man at the minimum would roughly be $4.1MM overall, as Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area New Group tweets.
Golden State and San Antonio are not the only teams with interest in Varejao. The Thunder had interest in the center, as did the Hawks, Clippers and Mavs. The 33-year-old was waived by the Blazers after being acquired in a deadline deal. Varejao didn’t see much action for Cleveland this season, seeing only 10.0 minutes per game. He averaged 2.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
It’s weird that the Warriors are going to make a move midseason, but they are down two centers and the only one left (Mo) is struggling this season. I think most likely to go is either Jason Thompson or McAdoo.