The Cleveland Cavaliers and Tristan Thompson have not been able to agree on a contract and Thompson could holdout into the regular season if the sides can't find common ground. The Cavs opened the preseason with a loss and starters LeBron James, JR Smith, Mo Williams, James Jones and Timofey Mozgov played without Kevin Love.
Thompson and the Cavs have not been close on a deal for a while and as the season gets closer it looks more and more likely that Thompson will not be with the team. According to ESPN, reported Brian Windhorst said that he thinks the holdout will extend into the regular season and "will probably go months" for the Cavs. Windhorst said a "third party event" needs to happen to "bridge the gap" between the sides, as Thompson wants a max deal or something close to it, while the Cavs have not been willing to make that offer.
The Cavaliers opened the preseason with a loss against the Atlanta Hawks and the score of the game was 98-96 and head coach David Blatt played a starting lineup that won't be the starting lineup when everyone is healthy. LeBron James played 22 minutes and scored eight points while adding seven rebounds and five assists, while JR Smith had 15 points in the game.
According to Chris Haynes at Cleveland.com, Love and Kyrie Irving remained back from the team when they travelled to Cincinnati for the game, as both players are continuing rehab for injuries. Love is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, while Irving could be out for a couple months while coming back from knee surgery.
Check here for more on the Cavaliers, Thompson, the preseason opener and James.
Thompson remains unsigned and it comes after the Cavs signed back Love on a max deal and brought back James on a short-term contract. They also kept Smith, Matt Dellavedova, Iman Shumpert and Jones, who signed a one-year, $1.45 million deal. Jones gives the team some outside shooting and bench scoring at a low price and it comes after the team already added Williams and brought back Shumpert on a four year deal. Shumpert will be out for a stretch with a wrist injury and that makes the bench even more important.
According to ESPN.com, Brian Windhorst the Cavs are hoping a deal can get done with Thompson before the season. The team made a trade with Brendan Haywood to the Blazers earlier in the offseason and that opened up a trade exception and the team also moves Rakeem Christmas, which brought a second round pick to Cleveland from Indiana. Windhorst writes that the Cavs needed another asset to package with Haywood and since they did not have a second round pick for a few years, the team needed to acquire one. ESPN reported that the pick is the Los Angeles Lakers 2019 second round draft selection.
The team also signed Sasha Kaun and he can help with depth if Thompson remains out. Kaun was a draft pick for the team in 2008 and the Cavaliers retained his rights and added him as a backup for Timofey Mozgov.