National Basketball Association

Cavaliers sign center Sasha Kaun

Published Sep. 9, 2015 11:45 a.m. ET

foxsports

CLEVELAND (AP) The Cavaliers have signed backup center Sasha Kaun, who has spent the past six seasons playing in Russia.

Cleveland acquired Kaun's contract rights in 2008 in a trade with Seattle (now Oklahoma City). The 6-foot-11 big man played on the bronze-medal winning Russian national team in the London Olympics for Cleveland coach David Blatt in 2012.

Kaun, who played college ball at Kansas, averaged 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 142 career games for CSKA Moscow. Last season, he averaged 9.9 points and 4.5 rebounds in 30 starts and shot 69 percent from the field.

He gives Cleveland more front-line depth behind Timofey Mozgov and Anderson Varejao, who is returning from a season-ending Achilles injury.

Kaun was originally drafted in the second round before his rights were traded to Cleveland.