It’s Unlikely Tristan Thompson Will Be A Cavalier Next Season

Before the 2019-20 NBA season came to a halt, the Cleveland Cavaliers were heading towards a crossroads. One path leads towards a rebuild, where Cleveland’s 19-46 record will add a top-five pick to join their promising young core. The other feels like rushing back to the playoffs with Kevin Love and Andre Drummond as two expensive All-Stars on the Cavaliers roster. Stuck in the middle of this split is center Tristan Thompson, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Thompson, who is on the final year of his five-year, $82 million extension, has a hand in both directions the Cavaliers are deciding between. He’s one of the last remnants of the 2016 Championship team, other than Love and Matthew Dellavedova, and would be a piece that helps push Cleveland back towards playoff contention. Thompson has also been a vital part of helping the Cavaliers develop a healthy, sustainable culture that allows their young core to grow and develop.

“T-Top has been huge for all of us,” said an unnamed Cleveland player. “The hustle and heart that he brought ever single night, both on the court and off the court, was huge for us and set an example for the rest of us to follow.”

That hustle and heart that Thompson brings every night has led to career-best season for the big man. In 57 appearances, Thompson has averaged 12.0 points along with 10.1 rebounds, including 4.0 offensive boards, and 0.9 blocks in 30.2 minutes per game. With those kind of averages, Thompson will likely get a few solid contract offers from playoff contenders around the league. But, considering how valuable Thompson has been to Cleveland, the Cavaliers may want to try and retain the most tenured player on the roster.

The thing is, the reality of Cleveland’s situation may prevent that from happening. Right now, Love, Drummond and Larry Nance Jr., all staples for the Cavaliers’ big man rotation account for roughly 52% of the team’s payroll at $68.7 million. Next season, Nance will be here under contract and the team will likely have both Love and Drummond here as well, per league sources. Drummond plans on opting into his $28.7 million player option and Love will be hard to move with the NBA salary expected to go down due to the coronavirus pandemic. With that in mind, all three aforementioned players will combine for $78.1 million total next year.

Cleveland paying Thompson, another big man in their stable, enough to entice him to stay would not be in the team’s best interest. Already committing so much money to a traditional center in Drummond and a somewhat injury-prone aging star in Love is a tough pill to swallow. Paying another traditional big man in Thompson, who will come off the bench, a hefty amount is just ludicrous in today’s modern NBA.

With that said, what exactly can the Cavaliers do? Clearly, Thompson has value but since he’s soon to become an unrestricted free agent Cleveland’s options are limited. There is always a sign-and-trade deal, but those kind of trade are pretty rare. Under the current CBA, there’s less incentive for teams and players to participate in sign-and-trades. If a player wants to change teams, it makes more sense for him to sign with the new team outright, rather than making his new club give up assets in order to complete the acquisition.

So, it seems like the Cavaliers will lose Thompson in free agency for nothing. Which is a little ironic, considering Thompson made it clear he wanted to be moved at this year’s trade deadline. Cleveland did their due diligence trying to accommodate Thompson, per league sources but nothing materialized. He’ll have plenty of interested suitors with teams like the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers and Boston Celtics all making sense for the Canadian big man. But, it seems all but certain that Thompson’s time with the Cavaliers will come to an end as soon as free agency begins.

In all honesty, it’s a shame this is how Thompson’s time will come to a close with Cleveland. As mentioned before, he’s been the most tenured player on the roster with nine years of service but after the team acquired Drummond this transition felt inevitable. Yes, his value both on and off the court is invaluable for the Cavaliers but the organization is hoping that impact he did make will leave a lasting impression on the younger players. Wherever Thompson does end up, the hustle and heart that has made him so endearing to Cleveland fans will make him successful no matter where he goes.