Larry Sanders near a deal with the Cavs

2017-03-11T14:09:42+00:00 2017-03-11T14:10:41+00:00.

Aris Barkas

11/Mar/17 14:09

Eurohoops.net

Larry Sanders is close to completing his NBA comeback, engaging in serious discussions toward a contract with the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers, league sources told The Vertical

By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net

Sanders and the Cavaliers are still discussing the agreement, and a deal could happen as soon as Monday, league sources said according to the report. The Cavaliers must still decide whom to waive to create space for Sanders, league sources said.

Sanders has been out of the league since February 2015, when he accepted a contract buyout with the Milwaukee Bucks. He had multiple violations of the NBA’s anti-drug policy, went on a personal leave of absence, and then stepped away from basketball to focus on his personal life. Over the past year, however, Sanders began to focus on returning to the NBA.

Sanders, 28, ramped up his comeback effort in late January when he hired agent Joel Bell and scheduled team visits. He had a seven-team workout in Miami in February and had meetings with the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Cavaliers, league sources said. NBA executives who attended the workouts told The Vertical that Sanders still had elite athleticism and speed and could become a contributor again when he gets into playing shape.

The Cavaliers started negotiations with Sanders after losing center Andrew Bogut on Monday because of a fractured leg. Bogut agreed to a contract buyout with the Philadelphia 76ers on Feb. 27 and chose Cleveland over Boston and Houston. Bogut was expected to provide shot-blocking and rebounding before suffering the season-ending injury in his Cavs debut against Miami.

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