When the Cleveland Cavaliers traded Anderson Varejao last week, I’ll admit I was a little bummed. The Brazilian forward had been with Cleveland since 2004, and put in a ton of work to improve his game during that time. Additionally, he earned plenty of respect for trying to make something out of the miserably bad post-LeBron James Cavs teams from 2010-14.

However, it was obvious Varejao wasn’t doing too much with Cleveland this year, and I completely understood why he was dealt and subsequently bought out.

On top of this, I totally get why he’s signing with the juggernaut Golden State Warriors, a move which was recently reported. If the best team in the NBA shows interest in acquiring you, why wouldn’t you agree to join the roster?

At the end of the day, I’ve had no real reaction to Varejao becoming a Warrior, because quite honestly it’s really no big deal. I felt it was safe to assume the majority of Cavs fans treated this move with the same indifference.

Well, at least that’s what I thought would happen. Listening to Cleveland sports radio this morning, it seems I’m in the minority here.

Numerous Cleveland fans called into 92.3 The Fan today to vent about Varejao “signing with the enemy.” His joining the team which beat the Cavs in the most recent NBA Finals has been seen by many as some sort of backstabbing or treason. After penning a very heartfelt thank you note to the fans and city of Cleveland, he went and delivered a major low-blow by signing with Golden State, or so many would like you to believe.

I’m sorry, surprisingly large majority of Cavs fans, but I don’t get the hate. Varejao had the option to join any team he’d like, and he picked the Warriors. Get over it.

You can be upset about Varejao going from Cleveland to Golden State all you want, but calling this some sort of traitorous move is completely off-base. He was a free agent, and a team was interested in him. He’s supposed to rebuff an offer from the Warriors just because they beat the Cavs last June?

Remember, he was only available because Cleveland traded him away. No matter how long he was a Cavalier, the idea of him owing the team anything gets thrown out the window as soon as Cleveland labeled him a disposable asset.

Additionally, if this move happens last season, does anyone complain? I’d think not, mainly because the Warriors hadn’t beaten Cleveland in the Finals yet.

I’m not saying the Cavs don’t hold a grudge against this team now. At the same time, this isn’t a longtime rival. The Warriors haven’t been a notorious thorn in Cleveland’s side for decades. The only reason fans see Golden State as the enemy is because of Cleveland’s most recent playoff series.

Would Varejao have been criticized if he joined the San Antonio Spurs since Cleveland fans might still be upset about the 2007 Finals? Would he be bashed for signing with the Chicago Bulls because of Michael Jordan’s famous postseason game-winner against the Cavs in 1989?

I’d like to hope not. However, I also didn’t think Varejao would be getting this much backlash for signing with Golden State.

At the end of the day, Varejao had a team express interest in signing him, and he agreed to a deal. That the team involved happened to have beaten the team he left in last year’s Finals doesn’t make him an enemy or a traitor. Varejao shouldn’t be booed if he ever returns to Cleveland in a Golden State uniform.

But, hey, if you’re that salty about the team Varejao decided to sign with, to each his own. Boo him all you want. Just know that, when you really break this all down, it’s quite a petty move to be this mad at Varejao because of the team he joined after being dealt by the Cavs.