The Cleveland Cavaliers roster is slowly taking shape. After getting players like Iman Shumpert and Kevin Love back under contract, LeBron James officially reaffirmed his commitment to Cleveland. However, there is still one piece missing for the 2015 roster as Tristan Thompson remains without a deal. The power forward is a restricted free agent and is looking for a big contract Cleveland is having trouble affording. Will the team get a deal in place with James now signed?
According to ESPN's Chris Broussard, James has signed a two-year, $46.9 million contract to stay in Cleveland. The second year is a player option, something James is expected to opt out of in order to sign a multi-year deal with the expanded salary cap space in 2016. His deal is paired with the five-year, $113 million deal Love signed and the four-year, $40 million deal Shumpert signed. While the Cavaliers are prepared to deal with luxury tax issues, they are struggling to get a number they can afford on Thompson.
According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, just because James signed back with Cleveland does not mean a contract for Thompson is guaranteed right away. The two are not a package deal and negotiations are still ongoing for the power forward. Thompson is looking to cash in on his performance during the playoffs where he averaged 9.5 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Matt Moore of CBS Sports reported the power forward originally turned down a contract of four years and $50 million and now wants a contract similar to what Draymond Green signed in Golden State which was five years and $82 million. The Cavaliers are not likely to hand him that money.
Thompson has yet to have any offers place on him as most teams expect Cleveland to match them. However, the longer a contract takes to negotiate, the closer some teams could come to placing a deal in front of Thompson. Cleveland is working to clear salary space that will help them with Thompson. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Brendan Haywood is starting to gain interest from teams like the Lakers, Suns and Clippers. That would get rid of a $10 million contract on the payroll.
The last question for Cleveland is whether or not they bring back JR Smith. According to ESPN, the Cavaliers have not given up on the idea of bringing back the shooting guard, but he must agree to a smaller contract than what his player option originally dictated. Smith has yet to get any looks from other teams as he holds out for a contract from the Cavaliers.