The Golden State Warriors have waived veteran big man Anderson Varejao with the intention of signing Briante Weber, a Development League star, to a 10-day contract. The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news on Friday.
Warriors Waive Anderson Varejao to sign D-League’s Briante Weber
Varej-out
Varejao, who was acquired by Golden State in February 2016, has played sparsely this season. He averaged 6.6 minutes per game, appearing in just 14 contests. Between last season and this one, he played in 36 games for the Warriors.
This season, the 34-year-old center averaged 1.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game.
After signing a minimum contract deal to return to Golden State last summer, Varejao will now become an unrestricted free agent if he clears waivers.
Prior to his brief time with the 2014-15 NBA champions, the Brazilian had spent 12 years with the Warriors’ rivals, the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has also represented his country at the Olympics.
Briante Weber set to sign
Weber, 24, has been in exceptional form for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Miami Heat’s D-League affiliate, this season. The guard averaged 21.5 points, 8.3 assists, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.6 steals last month, culminating in a richly deserved D-League Player of the Month award.
Weber capped off an impressive January with a near quadruple-double (16 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds, and 9 steals), a feat that is likely to leave Warriors fans drooling.
#NewBeginning That player is me https://t.co/yJ7zRpYQEl
— Briante Weber (@Sir_deuce2) February 3, 2017
Golden State’s backup point guard, Shaun Livingston, has missed the last two games with a back sprain. The Warriors are evidently keen to subsidise the impact of Livingston’s injury by adding another athletic, versatile guard to their barracks.
Despite a relatively poor NBA return in 2015-16, in which he averaged 4.4 points in seven games for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Heat, Weber has emerged as a hot commodity. It appears that the Warriors have won the race to acquire his services.
Among the many to sing Weber’s praises was the Heat’s head coach, Erik Spoelstra, who said: “I love Bri. I mean we spent a lot of time with him and he’s just slowly getting better and better in the special areas that he needs to. His time will come“.
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