Former No. 5 draft pick Thomas Robinson to play in Russia this season

Former University of Kansas power forward Thomas Robinson is headed to Russia to continue his basketball career after five seasons in the NBA.

The 6-foot-10, 240-pound Robinson, 26, has signed a contract with BC Khimki Moscow that covers the rest of the 2017-18 season, according to the team’s website.

“We checked the market with our president and general manager and decided to make our team better. I’m about one month with the team and I see where we are weak and where we are strong. I would like to thank our president and sponsors as Robinson is a very strong addition to the team,” said Khimki coach Georgios Bartzokas on the team’s website.

“He is a very good and famous player with a big NBA profile. He was No. 5 in the draft (in 2012 by Sacramento) and he is at a good age now. I think he fits a lot to our system. We know the level of the EuroLeague with many games so we need to have quality players,” Bartzokas added.

Robinson played for six NBA teams in five seasons with career averages of 4.9 points and 4.8 rebounds a game. He averaged 5.0 points and 4.6 boards for the Los Angeles Lakers last season.

Robinson recently had workouts with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics, according to pro hoops writer David Pick. There were rumors Robinson would sign with Fenerbahce in Turkey during the summer.

Cliff Alexander to Pelicans

Former Kansas power forward Cliff Alexander has agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, Basketball Insiders reported on Sunday night.

The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Alexander, 21, last year averaged 20.6 points on 57 percent shooting and 9.9 rebounds in 18 games for the NBA G-League’s Long Island Nets and 11.9 points on 45.5 percent shooting and 8.0 rebounds in 22 games for the Erie Bayhawks.

He averaged 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in 28 games for Kansas in 2014-15.

He signed with Portland after not being selected in the 2015 NBA Draft and played in eight games for the Trail Blazers in the 2015-16 season.

This story was originally published September 24, 2017 at 10:04 PM with the headline "Former No. 5 draft pick Thomas Robinson to play in Russia this season."