The Cleveland Cavaliers have been looking to add a defensive big man in a trade and now with a season ending injury to Anderson Varejao, LeBron James and the Cavs need the support more than ever and names like Timofey Mozgov, John Henson, Kosta Koufos, Brandon Bass, Robin Lopez, Samuel Dalembert, Bismack Biyombo, Brook Lopez and Wesley Matthews have been mentioned as potential options.
The Cavaliers have been interested in making one major move before the deadline this season and they were weighing for a while whether to go for a big man up front or a defender on the wing. Corey Brewer was a target early on, but he ended up getting traded to the Houston Rockets and now with the Varejao injury the team likely will focus on a big man. According to ESPN.com, Varejao suffered a foot injury against the Minnesota Timberwolves and he will undergo an MRI to see the extent of the damage.
Brian Windhorst and Marc Stein at ESPN reported that Varejao needed crutches to leave the arena and that there is a chance the injury is a serious one, potentially a torn Achilles. If that ends up being true or if Varejao has a serious injury that keeps him out months or for the season, the Cavaliers will need to make a move. The team is ranked in the bottom half of the league in rebounds per game and they are hovering near the Pistons in defensive efficiency according to ESPN.com stats.
Brendan Haywood or Tristan Thompson could fill in for Varejao at the center position for now, but that is not a great long term solution for the team. Varejao has been solid while averaging 10 points and six rebounds per game while shooting over 50 percent from the floor and he is one of LeBron's best friends on the team. ESPN.com writes that the team may now look harder at Mozgov or Koufos as trade targets, as they need someone to step up in the middle if Varejao goes down. To get a deal done the team may have to trade something significant, including Dion Waiters or Tristan Thompson. Mozgov hasn't been shopped by the Nuggets, as he is one a team friendly contract, while Koufos is on the back end of the rotation for the Grizzlies. Lopez has been shopped by the Nets, but it's unclear what they would be willing to take in a deal for him.
The report also says that the Boston Celtics could help facilitate a three team trade for the Cavaliers and they also have front court depth with Brandon Bass, Brandan Wright and Tyler Zeller. The Cavaliers have a $5.2 million trade exception and that would fit for either Mozgov or Koufos and the team is limited on what draft picks they can move. The Cavaliers have already traded their 2016 pick and they have one from 2015, but they also have a protected Memphis first round pick that can be traded.
The Cavaliers are now 17-10 on the season after getting off to a slow start and they will next play against the Miami Heat on Christmas Day. The team just won over the Grizzlies in a matchup with one of the best teams in the league and now they come into the holiday with James returning to South Beach for the first time since signing with Cleveland.
