NBA Rumors: Will Cleveland Cavaliers Lose Tristan Thompson?


NBA rumors about Tristan Thompson and the Cleveland Cavaliers could frustrate fans of the team. The latest NBA rumors about the situation state that Thompson wants a huge deal and that the Cavs aren’t close to offering it to him. A recent report from CBS Sports stated that the top goal for the Cavs over the rest of the NBA offseason is to get Thompson signed to a long-term extension. That’s easier said than done though.

Thompson appears to be seeking a deal worth $94 million over the next five years. That would be a maximum contract extension for him, and one that would lock up the core of the Cavaliers for the next few seasons. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the team already paid $110 million to Kevin Love to keep him in Cleveland for the next five years.

There have been other NBA rumors about teams wanting to offer Tristan Thompson a deal, but the market hasn’t played out as well as his agent may have hoped. There is already a qualifying offer on the table from the Cleveland Cavaliers; one that would pay him about $7.15 million for the 2015-16 NBA season. He would then become an unrestricted free agent with the ability to sign with any other team.

It is no secret that LeBron James wants the front office in Cleveland to lock up Thompson for years to come. He has even stated that the Cavs need to keep him on the roster for the rest of his career. That wasn’t all he had to say in the recent CBS Sports report.

“Our No. 1 objective right now is to sign Tristan. He’s a huge part of our team. Short term and long-term he makes our team more dangerous.Things need to be worked out from his side and the Cavs, but we need him back. I think our front office has done a great job this summer. The next step is to get Tristan done.”

Ensuring a player like Tristan Thompson, who could soon be averaging a double-double every night, doesn’t leave town, the Cavs have to meet his contract demands. The only incentive for him to take less money in the short-term is to gain more bargaining power in free agency. If Thompson winds up accepting the qualifying offer, there are going to be NBA rumors all year about the Cleveland Cavaliers and other teams Thompson might want to join. It could add a very unwelcome distraction to a team that’s already under the microscope.

[Image Source: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]

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