If reports are to be believed though, the return of Kevin Love might further bolster the stance of the Cleveland Cavaliers with respect the team’s conviction on not giving in to Tristan Thompson‘s max contract demand.Thompson, 24, increased his value greatly during the Cavaliers’ run to the National Basketball Association finals. The two sides have reportedly been roughly $14 million apart on contract figures for some time, and even the most recently reported prospect of Thompson being willing to settle for a three-year, $53 million doesn’t sound doable to the Cavs. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst deems it “likely” Thompson will miss the start of team practices. Thompson has until Thursday to sign a new long-term deal or the one-year, $6.78 million qualifying offer. If not, Thompson could take the qualifying offer and then look to test free agency for a better deal next season. However, the reports claimed that Thompson was only interested in a max contract (five-year, $94 million). Thompson and James share the same representation and James has been vocal that keeping Thompson is important to the Cavaliers’ goal of winning a championship. However, James is not pressuring the Cavaliers at all.
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It was believed Thompson and the Cavs were close to a multiyear deal worth some $80 million in early July. At this point Thompson playing out this year on the qualifying offer seems like a certainty it is just a matter of signing the paperwork. Today we’ll see how this situation affects his teammates and coach when they address the media.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers want to retain Thompson longer that this season but not to the extent that they will pay more than what he should receive.
