The deadline to get players signed to contract extensions is just hours away. Any deals that do not get done mean the player can hit free agency in the offseason. The Cleveland Cavaliers might have made the most moves in the 2014 offseason, but the work is not done as they start to focus on the contracts coming to an end in 2015. Who gets priority and who becomes a trade risk?
The Cavaliers will make LeBron James and Kevin Love priorities next offseason. James has a two-year deal with the second being a player option. Naturally Dan Gilbert and company have no plans of letting James go a second time. Love will be an unrestricted free agent, but according to multiple reports, the forward agreed that he would sign an extension with the Cavaliers prior to being traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, Cleveland can get two players under new deals before the Oct. 31 deadline, but only one might happen.
According to ESPN.com, the Cavaliers are nearing a contract extension with Anderson Varejao. Sources report that the center is close to inking a three-year contract worth upwards of $30 million that would start at the beginning of the 2015 season. Giving Varejao an extended contract certainly makes sense for Cleveland. The center has spent his entire NBA career with the Cavaliers after the team acquired his rights in 2004. Last season he averaged 8.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
An extension for Varejao could complicate the future for Tristan Thompson. The power forward is also hoping to get locked into a new contract as he and the Cavaliers continue to negotiations all week. The former first-round draft pick can become an unrestricted free agent this coming summer, but the Cavaliers would ideally like to sign him now instead of letting him test the market.
A contract for Thompson is not an easy one to establish. Determining the young star's worth might not be very easy considering Thompson's stock continues to rise and he will want to be paid accordingly. The forward lost a starting spot to Varejao which means he is not a max-deal player, but he should still get paid a hefty extension. Thompson likely wants to hold out until the offseason for a new contract. If he has a big season, he can command more money while the Cavaliers likely want to sign him not in order to save money.
Thompson could end up becoming a trade target if he and the Cavaliers fail to negotiate a deal. Several teams would love to get their hands on a young big man so Cleveland would be wise to rush negotiations along.