Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Philadelphia 76ers, March 31, 2017

Cleveland Cavaliers guard DeAndre Liggins pulls in a loose ball away from Philadelphia 76ers forward Richaun Holmes under the basket in the first half. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)

(Joshua Gunter)

ATLANTA -- The Cavs waived guard DeAndre Liggins to create a roster spot for the playoffs, and Anderson Varejao is among the names being considered.

Liggins made the trip with the Cavs to Atlanta and was informed at the team hotel today. General manager David Griffin said today was the deadline for a player to be claimed off waivers and have his current contract picked up for next season.

"Liggs gave us a lot," coach Tyronn Lue said. "I think when J.R. (Smith) went down we inserted him into the starting lineup to change our defense to get Kyrie off the ball and to pick up full court, be aggressive defensively -- he was really good for us. Hopefully he gets a chance to go somewhere else and get an opportunity to play."

Liggins, 28, averaged 2.4 points and 1.7 rebounds in 61 games this season. He fell out of Lue's rotation in part because he couldn't score, but his specialty was defense.

Liggins started 19 games for the defending champs; he entered the season with just one career start. The Cavs would have to sign a player by Wednesday to be eligible for the playoffs next weekend.

Varejao, the Cleveland fan favorite who was traded last season after 12 years with the Cavs, is an option if they decide to sign another post player. But there are some factors working against him -- his 1.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 14 games for the Golden State Warriors is just one.

Varejao hasn't played in a game since Feb. 2 after the Golden State Warriors waived him in -- and Cleveland would apparently prefer someone who's been playing in games. For instance, Luis Scola, 36, played in 36 games for the Brooklyn Nets before he was waived Feb. 27.

The Cavs may not want another forward/center, assuming Tristan Thompson returns from a sprained right thumb. They've said Larry Sanders is Thompson's backup, but Lue hasn't played Sanders in any meaningful minutes since Thompson's been out with a sprained thumb.

Thompson will not play today against the Hawks and his status for Monday's game against the Miami Heat is unknown.

If Cleveland doesn't go big, it would ostensibly look for another point guard. The Cavs are deep on the wing -- hence they felt comfortable letting Liggins go.

Playing behind Kyrie Irving is Deron Williams, a former three-time All-Star who signed as a free agent in February but has struggled. Kay Felder is a rookie.