Andrei Kirilenko to CSKA Moscow: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

Just days after hitting the open market, veteran forward Andrei Kirilenko has decided to bolt the NBA in favor of CSKA Moscow in the Euroleague.

According to CSKA Moscow on Twitter, the former Euroleague MVP has signed on with the team for the remainder of the 2014-15 campaign:

The 34-year-old Russian played in seven games for the Brooklyn Nets this season before getting traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. The former NBA All-Star never reported to the team, though, which resulted in him sitting out for much of the year.

Kirilenko was finally granted his long-awaited freedom Sunday, though, when the Sixers decided to place him on waivers:

Although Kirilenko was one of the NBA's most versatile and best all-around players during his time with the Utah Jazz, his role within the league diminished greatly over the past couple years.

His contributions in parts of two seasons with the Nets were quite limited, but ESPN.com's Mike Mazzeo is happy to see him getting an opportunity to return home:

Kirilenko is excited about catching on with CSKA Moscow as well, and he is fully aware that the rest of this season could be his swan song, per CSKABasket.com.

"

I am glad to be back to my favorite team, where I played in the beginning of my career, then in the middle of it. It's great that I got this chance and I was happy to use it. I understand that the time has come to think about quitting as a pro player and in my opinion it is better to do it in my dear club's uniform.

"

Perhaps Kirilenko's NBA career didn't end as he had hoped, but he certainly made an imprint on the league as one of the greatest Russian-born players ever.

Kirilenko is a hero in his native country, and there is no question that he is a much greater asset to the Euroleague at this point in his career than he would have been sitting on the bench for an NBA team.

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