Free agency off to exciting start

The offseason is in full swing and VTB United League clubs are working hard to improve rosters prior to the start of the 2015-16 campaign. VTB-League.com recaps the biggest moves so far in the league.

CSKA. Joel Freeland (pictured), Cory Higgins, Nikita Kurbanov, Dmitry Kulagin, Mikhail Kulagin

CSKA once agains plans to compete for VTB United League and Euroleague titles and found a replacement for center Alexander Kaun, signing ex-NBA center Joel Freeland. The British big man has plenty of experience, size and athleticism and can play at the power forward position, though the Army Men will use him primarily at center, per head coach Dimitris Itoudis. Freeland spent three seasons with Portland, in addition to an appearance at the Olympics with Great Britain and a stint with Unicaja in the Euroleague. Despite continued NBA interest, Freeland decided to join CSKA. He'll give the Army Men a defensive anchor in the paint and threat down low on offense.

Sonny Weems also decided to leave CSKA in the offseason, signing a contract with the Phoenix Suns. Cory Higgins will replace the athletic wingman. Russian fans remember Higgins from his 2013-14 campaign with Triumph, when the American guard led the league in scoring at 21.5 points per game. He spent last season in Turkey with Gaziantepspor, where he continued to improve his game. Itoudis expects Higgins to get even better playing for one of Europe's top clubs.

Nikita Kurbanov has also made big strides in recent years. Excellent play for UNICS and Lokomotiv-Kuban helped the forward regain a spot on the Russian national team, and now he's joined CSKA, where he played youth ball. Kurbanov will give the reigning champs added size, aggressiveness and scoring options at the small forward position.

Two more Russians joined CSKA earlier this week as former Army Men Dmitry and Mikhail Kulagin returned to the club. While Mikhail will not be expected to make a big impact, at least not initially, Dmitry is coming off a terrific season at Zenit where he established himself as a team leader. Kulagin is an explosive scorer and solid defender and extremely motivated to prove himself at the highest level.

Khimki. Marko Todorovic, Alexey Shved (pictured)

Khimki has gained a reputation for smart free agent signings in recent years. On Tuesday, the Yellow-Blues inked Marko Todorovic, one of Europe's most promising big men. The Montenegro native is coming off a big season at Bilbao, where he was named to the All-ACB First Team and finished in the top three in MVP voting. Todorovic's size, shooting, pick-n-roll skill and ability to play at both power forward and center make him a huge asset as Khimki prepares for a Euroleague campaign.

Khimki didn't wait long to make more headlines. The Yellow-Blues announced the signing of Alexey Shved on Thursday, perhaps the biggest move yet in the league. The Russian national team guard spent his last three seasons in the NBA where he met with mixed success. Shved's last stop was in New York, where he had the opportunity to show off his competitiveness, paint penetration, playmaking and pick-n-roll skills. He'll be expected to be a leader on the court for Khimki.

Lokomotiv-Kuban. Kyrylo Fesenko (pictured), Sergey Bykov

After moving to Europe and signing a contract with Avtodor, Kyrylo Fesenko's career is back on track. The Ukrainian center was a leader at Avtodor last season and among the league's top performers. Fesenko will add a lot of power to Lokomotiv's frontcourt, improve the team's rebounding and dominate the paint on offense if he can get on the same page with the team's ballhandlers. The combination of Fesenko and defense-stretching Anthony Randolph will give Krasnodar a versatile and dangerous frontcourt.

Ex-captain Sergey Bykov's return to Krasnodar has been a big hit with the fans. His experience, dependable play and competitiveness will be very helpful to Georgios Bartzokas as he builds a new team in advance of the 2015-16 campaign.

Nizhny Novgorod. Rasid Mahalbasic, Kaspars Berzins, Maxim Grigoryev (pictured)

Nizhny Novgorod does not engage in bidding wars and it's not easy for the club to retain its best players. Nonetheless, the team improves each season, speaking to the creativity and foresight of the front office. Center Artsiom Parakhouski and power forward Trey Thompkins have left the club, but Nizhny wasted no time signing Rasid Mahalbasic and Kaspars Berzins.

League fans are well-acquainted with both players: Mahalbasic has played for Nymburk and Astana, while Berzins has experience at VEF and Krasnye Krylia. Both were leaders at their respective teams last season and finished in the top 11 for efficiency rating. Mahalbasic and Berzins can score the ball and rebound, with Mahalbasic posing a threat in the paint, while Berzins is dangerous from outside. Together, the two of them will pose a lot of problems for opposing teams.

After failing to reach his full potential at Lokomotiv-Kuban, Maxim Grigoryev hopes to get to the next level in Nizhny Novgorod. The ex-Krasnodar captain is a deadly shooter and will give his new team another weapon on offense.

Zenit. Janis Timma (pictured), Ryan Toolson, Anton Pushkov

Forward Janis Timma played for VEF last season, averaging 12.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.4 steals and an efficiency rating of 14.3. He earned the Young Player of the Year award for his efforts, before joining Zenit in June. Expect good things from this partnernship between budding star and ambitious club. Much like Zenit, Riga used an up-tempo offense last season and Timma shouldn't have much trouble adapting in St. Petersburg. The athletic swingman will do a lot of the dirty work, help out on fast breaks, throw down exciting dunks and light up the perimeter.

Ryan Toolson has a lot of experience in Europe and gives Zenit another option on offense. He's a deadly 3-point shooter to which former Unicaja opponents can attest. The American shot nearly 50% from beyond the arc in the ACB! If Zenit can use him properly and give him open looks, Toolson could be one of the most dangerous snipers in the league.

Anton Pushkov's recent progress has been slowed by injuries. Still 26, he's yet to reach his full potential and will provide added depth and strength in the frontcourt.

UNICS. Artsiom Parakhouski (pictured), Arturas Milaknis, Quino Colom

Nizhny Novgorod's loss was UNICS's gain this summer as the Kazan club picked up center Artsiom Parakhouski in free agency. The Belarusian big man had plenty of suitors after his breakout 2014-15 campaign, but UNICS proved the most persistent, desperate to improve its frontcourt. Parakhouski played in 60 of 62 games for Nizhny last season, where he showed off his versatility and balance. Parakhouski is big and mobile, strong on defense and offense and nearly unstoppable around the basket and on the glass.

Arturas Milaknis is also expected to contribute immediately. The Lithuanian played for Zalgiris last season, where he was named MVP of the playoff finals, averaging 14.3 points while shooting 46.1% from beyond the arc. The 29-year-old forward also connected on 46.2% of his downtown attempts in the Euroleague. UNICS opponents will need to be extra careful on the perimeter whenever Milaknis is on the court.

Kazan has always placed extra emphasis on reliable point guards that can run an offense and work hard on defense. Bilbao's Quino Colom fits the bill perfectly. He's focused on defense, while capable of the offense and contributing points and assists. Quino was recently invited to training camp by the Spanish national team in advance of the 2015 EuroBasket.

Avtodor. Malcolm Armstead (pictured), Denis Lukashov, Alexey Nesterov

While Kazan values defense first, Saratov expects explosive offense from its point guards. The Black-Whites parted ways with the very popular Courtney Fortson, but found a replacement in Malcolm Armstead. Avtodor believes that the effective and versatile American will make the fans quickly forget about Fortson. Armstead played for Slovenia's KRKA last season, where he was named the Adriatic League's top point guard and included in the league's first team. He also led the league in scoring at 17.6 points per game, while recording 2.1 steals and 4.3 assists per outing. Armstead was also named the league's top foreign player and defensive player.

2014-15 Ukrainian Superleague MVP Denis Lukashov has also joined Avtodor. The Ukrainian national team guard averaged a league-leading efficiency rating of 22.5 in 35 games for Budivelnik. Lukashov has experience in the VTB United League with Budivelnik, Donetsk and Azovmash and continued to follow the league last season from a distance. Now he has an opportunity to make a fresh impact in the competition.

Alexey Nesterov is another Saratov newcomer. The Russian big man was named the Russian Superleague's top power forward last season, finishing second in the league and 3rd in the Russian Cup with Spartak Primorye. Saratov expects Nesterov to keep improving next season and to be a valuable member of the rotation.