Larry Sanders hasn't played in the NBA for 20 months but he's considering a return.

Sanders will not return to the NBA until he feels mentally healthy enough to do so. He may not return at all.

"If the time comes and the stars align, then yeah," he said. "If I feel like I'm ready to play this summer, I'll probably be on a team next year."

Multiple sources confirmed that both the Warriors and Cavaliers expressed serious interest in signing Sanders.

"He's not DeAndre Jordan, but he's not too far off," a league source told VICE Sports. "As a pure defensive specialist center, top five. Top eight. And the thing is, the list isn't that long. It's not a top 30. There's not a top 12. They're unicorns in that way."

Sanders refers to himself as retired from the NBA but he still talks about playing in the present tense.

"You want to see me create? Watch me play defense," he said. "Because I'm thrilled by it. I love playing defense, I love watching how guys move and who's on the cut. I love anticipating blocks. I love contesting shots, altering shots. I love it. I love guarding somebody. I hate if someone scores on me—I hate that! I'm driven by it, man. It fuels me."

According to a league source who had conversations with multiple former teammates of Sanders, "he was his own guy and if you didn't fit in with him, he didn't want to know you."