Agent: Bogut has chosen to play for Cavs

Andrew Bogut has chosen to join the Cleveland Cavaliers, giving LeBron James and the defending champions another accomplished veteran as they prepare to mount a run to their third straight NBA Finals.

Bogut’s agent, David Bauman of ISE, told The Associated Press on Tuesday night that Bogut plans to sign with the Cavaliers as soon as he clears waivers. Bauman anticipates that Bogut will join the defending NBA champions by this weekend.

Bogut was traded at the deadline from Dallas to Philadelphia in a deal that brought Nerlens Noel to the Mavericks. He and the 76ers agreed to part ways so Bogut could join a contender, and he had several teams lining up to add the defensive-minded center.

Boston, San Antonio and Houston were also chasing Bogut hard, hoping the 7-foot center could bring his gritty defensive chops and slick passing to bolster their playoff hopes. Bogut informed Cavaliers GM David Griffin that he planned to join the team on Tuesday night, and Bogut also took the time to reach out to the Celtics, Spurs and Rockets to thank them for their interest.

“The decision was a lot harder than he anticipated just because of the respect he had for everyone he spoke with,” Bauman said in a phone interview with the AP.

One of the great characters in the league, Bogut posted a video on his Twitter feed of UB40’s “Red Red Wine,” a cheeky play on Cleveland’s wine and gold color scheme.