There are many other choices.
For me the reasons to NOT get the Nexus 9 was it has 4:3 ratio meaning a lot more wasted screen for 16:9 videos relative to other tablets (Nexus 7, LG GPAD 8.3, Nexus 10, etc), plus it was silly high money (but Appletards would think it reasonably priced).
I got the LG GPAD 8.3 in some sale months back cost me about $199 I think, and it is perfectly fine, it can be held in one hand like Nexus 7 and has a big screen nearly all useable by 16:9 videos, and a SD slot (I got a 64GB for $30) so its got plenty of capacity, and it is well supported by Cyanogenmod and custom ROMs, I'm running a AOSP with small tweeks ROM so that is basically very close to what you'd get with a Nexus device.
I'd not buy a Nexus 10 now if I didn't already own one due to its age, mine is now getting rapid battery death if left unplugged for more than an hour so I use it in my bed to watch videos and only unplug for short times moving around the house. My GPAD is my more take-from-home device.
If I were buying something now, I'd look at the more recent sales of the Samsung Tab S 8.4 but confirm the CM support. Or if i were looking for a faster machine look out for sales of the Nvidia Shield Tablet.
Thanks for the response. I had also thought of the Galaxy Note pro line, but those are quite expensive and coming from the Galaxy S4 on Verizon, it left a sour taste in my mouth. With a tablet though, I may not encounter some of the lock downs that are administered by Verizon.