The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly looking to sign Sasha Kaun and Quinn Cook to free agent deals and this comes as the Cavs are looking to sign Tristan Thompson to an extension, while JR Smith is also a target to return for LeBron James after the team signed Mo Williams, Richard Jefferson, Kevin Love, Iman Shumpert and James Jones this summer.
The Cavaliers are confident that they will get a deal done with Thompson, but the sides have not been able to agree on an extension. According to Chris Haynes at Cleveland.com, the Cavaliers are close to signing Sasha Kaun to a free agent deal and it comes after speculation earlier in the offseason that the Cavs would try to sign the center from Russia. The Cavs have Kaun's draft rights from 2008 and the team has been looking to add depth behind Timofey Mozgov on the roster.
The Cavaliers have Anderson Varejao coming back from a serious injury and Haynes reports that the 30-year-old Kaun visited Cleveland this week. Haynes reported that sources said part of the trip was about "house hunting" and that could mean both sides are confident a deal will get done. Haynes reports that a deal is not expected to be done before Kaun leaves, but that the Cavs are seeking front court depth.
Pro Basketball Talk reports that the Cavaliers can offer Kaun a minimum deal and they also have some space on their taxpayer midlevel exception. According to Cleveland.com, the Cavaliers have signed Quinn Cook to a contract and the guard likely will compete for a roster spot in training camp. Pro Basketball Talk writes that Cook could be insurance in case the team doesn't sign back JR Smith. Cook was undrafted after coming out of Duke and he could be extra depth behind Kyrie Irving, Mo Williams and Matthew Dellavedova. Williams signed as a free agent in the offseason and the Cavs currently have 11 guaranteed contracts.
The Cavaliers have also added Jared Cunningham on a deal for an invite to training camp, according to RealGM. The Cavs previously drafted Cunningham back in 2012 and traded him and he comes in after playing for the Jazz in the NBA Summer League. Cunningham could be an end of the roster option to win a spot in camp along with Cook, while Kaun likely will serve as a primary backup if Anderson Varejao is not fully healthy.
The Cavaliers have also shown interest in Jamal Crawford and Haynes reports that the guard would be open to playing for the Cavs if he is traded. The Cavs have a trade exception from the Brendan Haywood deal to the Blazers and Crawford could be an option for that. The Cavaliers main priority is to sign Tristan Thompson back and it comes after reports that Thompson could consider signing his qualifying offer. LeBron James has said that he wants Thompson back and the Cavs are also working to bring back Smith on a deal after he opted out of his contract.
Check here for more on the Cavaliers offseason moves or more on Cook and Kaun.
