Cavs to sign Edy Tavares, cut Larry Sanders

According to Shams Charania of the Vertical, the Cleveland Cavaliers are set to sign center Edy Tavares to a multiyear deal on Wednesday. Additionally, the team will cut center Larry Sanders, who the team signed on March 13, to make room for Tavares. The team will still sign Dahntay Jones, per cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon.

Tavares, 25, was originally a second round pick of the Atlanta Hawks in the 2014 NBA Draft. A native of Cape Verde, Tavares, who is listed at 7’3” entered the league incredibly raw and spent the 2015-16 season with the Hawks before being waived one game into this season. He then signed with Raptors 905 of the NBA’s D-League. In 48 games, he averaged 10.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks while shooting 59 percent from the field.

Tavares’ time in the D-League indicates that he can play in the NBA. The timing, along with Sanders getting cut, is what’s interesting here. Sanders has played well in the D-League since returning the NBA with the Cavs, but clearly it wasn’t enough for Cleveland to stick with him for now. Tavares, because he’s been active and productive, may be seen as someone who can help right now. And if Tristan Thompson’s injury remains a problem, Tavares could be asked to play right away.

For Sanders, this is gutting. He had just started on his comeback and looked to be getting more comfortable everyday. Unless he signs with a playoff team immediately - which is highly unlikely - his next chance may come at the NBA’s summer league.

Expect the Cavs to announce Tavares’ signing - as well as Jones’ - Wednesday before their game against the Toronto Raptors. It’s unclear if either will be able to play immediately. Both will be playoff eligible.

We’ll update this post as we learn more.