NBA Rumors: Rockets And Three Other Teams Interested In Trading For Tristan Thompson, Per ‘Amico Hoops’

When the Cleveland Cavaliers traded veterans Kyle Korver and George Hill, most people expected Tristan Thompson as the next player to be moved. With the Cavaliers heading into an inevitable rebuild, Thompson is no longer a good fit with the team and his current contract has been consuming a huge chunk of their salary cap space.

However, the Cavaliers don’t seem to be in a rush to get rid of Tristan Thompson before the February NBA trade deadline. According to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops, Thompson has made a huge impact for the Cavaliers on and off the court, and he’s currently serving as their leader since LeBron James left in the recent free agency and when Kevin Love suffered an injury. Despite his inability to knock down shots from beyond the arc and lucrative deal that runs until the 2019-20 NBA season, Amico revealed that the veteran center has been receiving plenty of interest on the trade market.

“The Cavaliers are no longer in any big hurry to trade Tristan Thompson but that hasn’t kept opposing teams from asking. According to several league sources, the Cavs have taken a few calls on their starting center, who has become a solid rock of a leader and teammate in an otherwise lost season. Thompson has embraced the team’s rebuilding effort, continuing to play hard and making an impact — despite a losing streak that reached a league-high 12 games before Sunday’s road win over the Los Angeles Lakers.”

Khloé Kardashian and Tristan Thompson Are Back to Being All Loved Up https://t.co/A1TTh290Q9 pic.twitter.com/kl8ZW9Isiv

— Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan) January 14, 2019

Tristan Thompson may have gone through ups and downs in the past years, but he’s currently establishing an impressive performance in the 2018-19 NBA season. In 34 games he played, Thompson is averaging 11.7 points and 11.2 rebounds on 52.9 percent shooting from the field. As Amico noted, Thompson is receiving trade interest from “teams in actual intention.”

Some of the NBA teams who could be inquiring about Tristan Thompson’s availability via trade include the Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Portland Trail Blazers. It’s definitely not a surprise why the Rockets want to add Thompson to their roster. Their starting center, Clint Capela, is expected to be on the sideline for at least one month after suffering a thumb injury. In a potential deal with the Cavaliers, there is also a possibility that the Rockets will ask for the inclusion of veteran shooting guard J.R. Smith, whom Houston viewed as someone who can fill the hole in their wing.

At this point in his NBA career, Tristan Thompson will definitely be better off joining playoff contenders like the Rockets, Raptors, Thunder, and Trail Blazers than staying on a rebuilding team. However, Thompson looks happy where he is right now, and the Cavaliers feel the same unless they receive a seductive offer for the veteran center.