Larry Sanders‘ long-rumored return to the NBA appears to be very near on the horizon, as The Vertical’s Shams Charania reports the former Bucks center is close to signing a deal with the Cavs.
Former NBA center Larry Sanders and the Cleveland Cavaliers are in serious discussions toward a deal, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 11, 2017
Sanders teased that there may be some news of him signing somewhere soon with a tweet earlier on Friday.
Looks like Ima need my goggles back 🤓
— Dr. Larry Sanders II (@l8show_thegoat) March 10, 2017
Sanders has been on an NBA workout tour, including contenders like the Celtics and Cavs, and after Andrew Bogut went down with a broken leg just minutes into his Cavs debut, Cleveland was once again left with a hole to fill at center. Sanders hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2014-15 season, but he’s always been an intriguing prospect when he is interested in basketball. His best season was in 2012-13, when he averaged a near double-double with 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game for Milwaukee.
Sanders won’t provide the same veteran savvy as Bogut, but he’s a strong rim defender and rebounder who should be able to give them productive minutes in short bursts off the bench. What will be most interesting is to see how Sanders takes to the bench role. He’ll be able to play with all-out energy if he wants in those bursts, and considering that at his peak he was a ferocious defender, he could be very effective if he doesn’t have to worry about pacing himself to save energy.
