Tristan Thompson Rumors: Cleveland Cavaliers Struggling With Contract
Tristan Thompson rumors continue to reflect badly on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Thompson and the Cavaliers are still not close to a new deal, suggesting it might not get done before the 2015-16 NBA season begins. A report from Nick Borges at ESPN states that the situation could lead to Thompson simply taking a qualifying offer and playing the upcoming season without a safety net.
The reason that there is no new deal, is that Thompson believes he is worth max money and the Cavaliers aren’t willing to give it to him. Offering Thompson a max contract would put the franchise deeper into the luxury tax penalties, maxing it extremely expensive to sign him. With the money that the team has already agreed to pay LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love, the salaries for the Cavs are at just about $100 million for the 2015-16 NBA season alone.
The Tristan Thompson rumors indicate that he has been given a qualifying offer worth $6,777,589 for the upcoming season. If he signs that deal, it becomes a one-year contract, making him an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season. Since he is currently a restricted free agent, only the Cavaliers can negotiate a deal with him, but once he become unrestricted, the entire market becomes available. That could lead to another team sweeping in with that max contract.
Thompson really started to come into his own during the second half of last year and the 2015 NBA Playoffs. During the postseason, he averaged 9.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game. He was great to have on the offensive glass, averaging 4.4 offensive rebounds per game from there. Playing in 36.4 minutes a game, he was a major part of the title run that came up just short for the Cavaliers. He is also just 24 years old now, meaning he has a lot of basketball left in his future.
LeBron James had originally been holding out to sign his new contract until Thompson got a new deal. When he was assured by the front office that it was coming, James put his name to a new two-year deal. That this situation with Thompson has gone unsettled has started to cause some unneeded drama between James and the front office. These Tristan Thompson rumors aren’t going anywhere, but it also appears very clear that the Cleveland Cavaliers have to figure out a way to give him a max contract or trade him while his value is high.
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