NBA Rumors: Cleveland Cavaliers Acquiring Chris Andersen

NBA stars love reunions, especially if it means that they will get a chance to win another championship before they retire. According to CBS Sports, the Cleveland Cavaliers are signing Chris Andersen to a one-year contract worth approximately the minimum. Andersen has a close relationship to Cavaliers franchise player LeBron James.

In order to clear space for Chris Andersen, the Cleveland Cavaliers essentially paid the Philadelphia 76ers to take Sasha Kaun off of their hands. The seldom used center was sent to the Sixers along with cash considerations. Philadelphia already has three talented young centers in Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, and Joel Embiid, so Kaun will more than likely be shown the door as soon as he gets there.

Sasha Kaun came over to the NBA from Russia. With David Blatt no longer being in the league, there is a very good chance that the 31-year-old Kaun heads back overseas to continue his professional basketball career.

Report: Cavaliers, Chris Andersen agree to one-year deal: https://t.co/tQt877cLUF pic.twitter.com/0oMWt5uBKp

— USA TODAY NBA (@usatodaynba) July 16, 2016

Once the roster spot and salary cap space were cleared, that gave the Cleveland Cavaliers the green light to make their deal with Chris Andersen, a player who provides a lot of energy.

According to the Bleacher Report, Chris Andersen will more than likely have a limited role as a bench player for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is currently sitting behind Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love, and Channing Frye in the rotation. With LeBron James also receiving minutes at power forward, there will not be many available front court minutes left for Andersen.

Having Chris Andersen on the bench will be a luxury for Tyronn Lue and the Cleveland Cavaliers. On nights where Channing Frye and Kevin Love are struggling on defense, Andersen can provide spot minutes because he will definitely put in the effort on that side of the court.

Chris Andersen will essentially be a cheaper replacement for Timofey Mozgov, who signed a four-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers that is worth approximately $64 million. That price was too rich for the Cleveland Cavaliers, especially since Mozgov was seldom used during their run to the NBA Championship.

If anything, Chris Andersen will provide the Cleveland Cavaliers with a tenacious defender who knows to stay ready in case his number is called by head coach Tyronn Lue. Andersen will also be quite useful in practice, as he will hound guys like Tristan Thompson, Channing Frye, and Kevin Love.

Chris Andersen spent a couple of seasons with the Miami Heat before being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies last season, as reported by CBS Sports. It was the big three-way trade that enabled the Charlotte Hornets to land Courtney Lee, now with the New York Knicks, for their run in the NBA Playoffs.

Aside from LeBron James, Chris Andersen will see another familiar face in the Cleveland Cavaliers locker room. James Jones is still with the team. James, Jones, and Andersen were all part of the Miami Heat roster that won an NBA Championship in 2013.

Officially, LeBron James is still a free agent. However, very few people in the NBA believe that he is actually going to be switching jerseys again this summer. The signing of Chris Andersen provides more proof that he is sticking around, as the two of them are good friends who more than likely had discussions before Andersen decided to join the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Chris Andersen is not going to be closing the talent gap between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors, who recently added Kevin Durant to a roster that is already loaded with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. However, he will still be a useful asset.

[Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images]