The Birdman has officially landed in Cleveland.
According to a report by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Friday, Chris Andersen has agreed to terms with the Cavaliers on a one-year deal. Cleveland is said to have cleared out the necessary cap space to sign the 38-year-old big man by dumping Sasha Kaun’s contract onto the Philadelphia 76ers.
Free agent Chris "Birdman" Andersen has agreed to a one-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 15, 2016
Cleveland has unloaded Sasha Kaun onto Philadelphia, which sources say clears the way for the Cavs' signing of Chris "Birdman" Andersen.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 15, 2016
Andersen, whose mutual interest with the Cavs had been rumored for the last several days, averaged 3.9 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game in 2015-16, splitting time between the Heat and the Grizzlies. He will be reunited in Cleveland with LeBron James and James Jones, two of his former teammates in Miami. They won the NBA championship there together in 2013 as Andersen provided indispensable hustle off the bench and featured prominently in some of the Heat’s deadliest postseason lineup combinations.
Father Time has taken a major bite out of Birdman’s wings, but he should prove valuable for the Cavs as a familiar locker room presence and a situational energy big. No word though on if Andersen will be giving himself another new nickname now that he’s in Cleveland.
Image Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
