Anderson Varejao Got What He Wanted

By now it seems a foregone conclusion that Cleveland will match Charlotte's offer sheet and Anderson Varejao will be return to the Cavs, but Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer points out that it wouldn't be completely unreasonable for the Cavs to let him walk.

For one, the team is already over the luxury tax threshold, which means signing him will cost the team upwards of $10 million a season. I don't think there's any chance whatsoever that the Cavs let him walk, but if anything that gives perspective on why the team was so hesitant to meet his alleged demands for $9 million a year.

But no matter where he ends up playing, I can't see how anyone can describe his holdout as anything but a remarkable success. Bill Livingston of the Cleveland Plain Dealer apparently disagrees:

So Anderson Varejao's mindless holdout was a big flop.

The money in the $17.4 million, three-year offer sheet Charlotte gave him is less annually ($5.8 million to $6.4 million) than the five-year, $32 million deal the Cavaliers first offered. The Cavs are almost certain to match it and retain Varejao for the first two years of the deal. At that point, he is free to take his game elsewhere as one gosh-darn attractive free agent, as long as some team's heart's desire is seven points and seven rebounds per game.

Varejao reportedly wanted $45 million over five years, but the Cavs would only pay $32 million over five. When negotiations reached a stalemate, Varejao said he'd be willing to sign a one-year deal worth $5 million, but Danny Ferry balked, saying the only one-year deal the Cavaliers would offer was the $1.2 million qualifying offer they made earlier in the summer.

So what happens? Varejao ended up with what's essentially a two year deal worth $12.2 million. And that's a flop? Turning 1.2 million into 10 times that? Setting himself up so that he'll be a free agent at the prime age of 27 years old when, if the Cavs deal really was worth the market rate, he'll have no trouble finding a similar deal if not more? If anything, Varejao and his agent absolutely abused Ferry, not the other way around.